Teacher's Pet
by HP4EverLuver
Summary: Chad Danforth is the hottest bachleor in town. He had everything he could possibly want, and now he's found the girl of his dreams. There's just one problem. She's his 17-year old student, and he's 25. The pharse teacher's pet will never be the same.
1. Trailer

_**Teacher's Pet**_

**He was the hottest Bachelor in town**

"_So Mr. Danforth, what's it like to be the first man in history to be named Alberqurque's Magizine's Hottest Bachelor of the Year, two years in a row? And also only being 25?" A reporter asked. Chad Danforth smiled. _

"_I guess I'm just lucky." He said._

**He had fame, money, friends,**

"_Dude, you have a mansion, five cars, and all the money you could ever want, without having to work for it. What more could you want?" Chad's best friend, Troy said while ruffiling his hair and flipping on the flat screen TV. _

**And to top it off, he'd finally found the girl of his dreams**

_Chad looked up and saw that the most beautiful girl he had ever seen walking in the middle of the street, with her nose in a book. She seemed so into the book, that she didn't notice the car coming stright at her. Chad pushed her back into the street just in time. _

"_Thank you so much. You just saved my life! I'm Taylor by the way. Taylor McKessie." Chad shook her hand and flashed her a smile. _

"_Chad Danforth." _

**There's just one problem**

"_Mr. Danforth, I'd like to introduce you to your best student, Taylor McKessie." Dean Warrens said as a girl walked through the classroom door. Chad's mouth dropped as did the girl's. _

"_Taylor?!"_

_Chad?!"_

_&&&_

"_She's your student?!" Troy exclaimed. _

"_He's my teacher!" Taylor said while figuring out a problem on the board._

**Now they have a choice. Be together and risk getting caught**

"_Taylor, you keep saying you want him. Now the question is, do you want him bad enough to risk ruining his life." Gabriella asked as they sat on the baseball bleachers. _

"_Whatever you chose man, I'm behind you 100 percent." Troy said while clapping his friend on the back. _

**Or try to silence their feelings, and ignore their growing want, lust, and need for each other**

_Chad was busy grading papers that he didn't notice who he'd bumped into. He quickly grabbed their shoulders to stop them from falling. Then he saw it was Taylor. They immediately jumped about 4 feet away. They stood there in an akward silence. They each nodded before walking off in oppisite directions. _

**Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie**

_Shows Taylor reading a book while drinking Starbucks Coffe_

**Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth**

_Shows Chad playing basketball shirtless_

**Vannessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez**

_Shows Gabriella talking on her cell phone_

**Zac Efron as Troy Bolton**

_Shows Troy driving a car towards Chad's house_

**Phil Lewis as Dean Warrens**

_Shows the Dean sitting at his desk_

**Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans**

_Sharpay putting on makeup_

**Lucas Gabriel as Ryan Evans**

_Ryan playing baseball_

**And introducing Damaris Johnson as Sasha Meyers**

_Shows Sasha strutting down the hall_

_**Teacher's Pet**_

_**The phrase will never be the same agian**_


	2. Chad's New Crib

"_And number 21, Chad Danforth goes for the goal. He shoots, and he scores! For just being drafted into the NBA, this kids got a lot of potential. _

"_Chad! Chad! Chad! Chad!" the crowd chanted as Chad smirked. _

'_Life is sweet!' He thought as they continued to cheer. _

"Chad, Chad, Chad get your lazy ass up and out of bed!" Troy Bolton said as he repeatedly shook his best friend. Chad woke with a start.

"What's going on?" He asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. When he saw who it was, he groaned and sat up. "Dammit Troy, that was a good dream. What'ca have to go and wake me up for?" Troy got up and grinned.

"Cause if I remember correctly, today's somebody's 25th birthday, and we have a party to get to." Chad looked at his clock.

"Stupid, who throws a party at 9:00 AM?"

"Your family. Now get dressed and let's go." Troy threw a shirt at his friend and walked out of the room and down the hall of Chad's rented apartment. Chad slowly rolled out of the covers and walked over to his full-length mirror and looked himself up and down.

'_Good enough to eat.'_ He thought to himself as he admired his physique. Standing at 6 foot, his outrageous curly chestnut curls fell perfectly into his honey eyes. He had impressive pecs that went along with his clearly viewable six-pack, since he slept in his boxers, without a shirt. Long, toned, defined legs thanks to years of basketball, track and field, and baseball. After thoroughly checking himself out, he walked over to his closet and pulled it opened.

Rows and rows of designer shoes, clothing, and shades. He pulled out a pair of black K Swiss, a black Rocawear shirt, jacket and jeans. He appeared in his kitchen 10 minutes later, freshly showered, changed and ready to go. Troy was there watching the highlights from the last football game.

"I can't believe that the Browns beat the Eagles." **(A/N I have nothing against either of these teams. I don't even watch football. These were the first two teams that popped into my head) **Troy said while drinking a Red Bull. Chad rolled his eyes and pulled one out of the fridge for himself.

"I told ya. My boy's got skills. Which by the way, you now owe me $40 cause you lost the bet." Troy pushed him and headed toward the door.

"Yeah, whatever man. Let's go. Zeke made the cake, and I can't wait to taste it. My mouth's watering at the thought." Troy said as they headed toward the Ferrari Chad had gotten the year before as a present. Parked next to it was Troy's Harley Davidson. Troy had been saving up for it for years, and he finally got the finishing touches on it earlier that week. Since then, he'd ridden it everywhere.

"Dude, you keep riding that thing, eventually your going to crash because you're too busy worrying about your hair." Chad said as he buckled up. Troy shook his head as he put on his helmet.

"Coming from the King of Collision, who's crashed one car 5 times in one year."

"I should run you over for that." Chad responded as they pulled out of the apartment parking lot, and down toward the highway and eventually out towards the dessert. After driving a couple of miles or so into the dessert they passed the Lava Springs Resort, where the two friends had already spent more than half of the summer at. It was July 15th. They came to wait looked like another resort, from a distance, but when examined closer, it was a giant mansion. They stopped at the gate, which opened up for them. Giant was a bit rude to how big the place actually was. It had 15 bedrooms, 5 guest bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, an attic, a basement, 4 floors, and a 14-acre backyard.

Across the front in big letters, were the words, _**Happy 25**__**th**__** Chad!**_ Standing underneath it were his parents, grinning and beaming with pride.

"Happy birthday, Chad!" His mother said as she hugged him, seconds after he got out of his car. His father clapped him on the back.

" You made it, son, and you've yet to be thrown in jail. I think you've been doing well so far." Cara Danforth hit her husband playfully.

"That's not funny Michael. Troy! Good to see you again. How are you're parents?" Troy wiped his hands on his jeans and took a champagne glass off a tray that passed, being carried by a waiter.

"They're fine. They unfortunately couldn't make it, though so they send their best wishes." Michelle and Michael nodded in understanding.

"Well, what are we doing standing around out here for? There's a party inside. Let's go!" Mr. Danforth said as he pushed the other 3 adults towards the door, and inside the mansion. It really was as extravagant as it looked. The tile floor was granite and the wall looked like it was probably made of the same material. The grand staircase's banister was the kind that swirled and split the farther down you got. Chad made a mental note to race Troy down the banister later. It had a high ceiling and the chandelier looked like it was made out of pure gold, and nothing else.

"Mom, dad, this place is amazing. How'd you guys rent it for the party?" Cad asked.

"It's our way of saying congratulations on getting drafted into the NBA." His dad said while drinking from his glass.

"But you didn't have to rent out this mansion. I would have been fine with something small." He said while walking toward the bar, so he didn't he didn't notice that his parents grins get bigger.

"Chad, we didn't rent it. We bought it. It's yours." Both Troy and Chad spit out their drinks.

"What?" They questioned. Cara was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet from excitement.

"Yep! It's all yours! You can move in anytime you want." She said while running to hug her son.

"Mom, dad, I don't know how to repay you guys." Chad said from shock. Troy, also in shock, had gotten another drink.

"Now Chad, this is a big house. Lots of bedrooms. And even though you're friends will be over here constantly, that doesn't mean that this house doesn't deserve a woman's touch." Cara began. Michael sighed beside her.

"Son, what your mother is trying and failing at saying is that she wants grandkids." Troy started snorting beside him.

"Well, we're not getting any younger, which means that we're obviously going to die soon, and I'd like to see my grandchildren before I die. That's all any mother wants." Cara tried to explain. Chad smiled and took his mother's hand in his.

"Look mom, I understand that. I do. And I promise that when I find the right girl, I'll settle down." Cara placed her hands on either side of her son's face and kissed the top of his forehead.

"That's all I ask. Let's go, Michael." With that she led him away to the backyard, where there were a couple of grills.

"Do you actually believe in that?" Troy asked as they up the stairs to check out the bedrooms.

"Believe in what?"

"That there's someone out there for everyone." They had come to the master bedroom. They entered and saw that it was huge. A red king-sized bed, polished hard wood floor, blue walls, two doors that lead to the master bathroom and walk in closet, and a balcony that over looked the grounds. They continued their conversation on the balcony.

"Of course I believe that there's someone out there for everyone. Ya just gotta find them." Troy leaned on the railing.

"How are you so sure that it's real and not just a myth?" Chad looked down.

"Because. Every time I look at my parents and yours I know it's real." Troy also looked down to see that Mr. and Mrs. Danforth were slow dancing on the back porch to no music. "I'm tellin ya, Troy. Out there somewhere is your perfect woman. And somewhere else is mine. Our job now, is to find them." Troy lifted his glass.

"To the future?"

"And to everything that comes with it." Chad added.

_**Well, that's the first chapter! What did ya think? Second chapter comes soon!**_


	3. THe Shopping Trip That Started It All

Hey, I'm back after months of writers block

Taylor McKessie awoke to the sound of her alarm radio going off. She rolled over to see what time it was and groaned. She was usually up earlier than this. Just then her phone rang.

_I'm putting in homework_

_(Till I get to know you)_

_I'm putting in homework_

_(I'll study your every move)_

_I'm putting in homework_

_Till I know everything you like_

_I'm gonna push, gonna mash, gonna grind_

_I'm on the grind till I know it_

_I'm putting in homework _**(A/N I just wanted to say how much I love this song! And if you don't know what it is, it's Homework by Corbin Bleu! Duh! :)**

Taylor answered it, silently cursing herself for her sleeping late. "Hello?" She asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Taylor? Is that you? Do you know what time it is? Why are you still in bed? You're supposed to be yelling at _**me **_for not getting up. Not the other way around." Taylor smiled when she realized it was her best friend, Gabriella Montez.

"I guess my internal clock is broken." She said while smiling.

"Broken or not, you do remember what day it is, right? We have a shopping date." Taylor groaned as she remembered.

"Gabs, I totally spaced and forgot. Look, let me change, shower, and I'll meet you at your house in 25." Gabriella agreed and they hung up. Taylor tossed off the covers, and slowly walked to her shower. The hot water felt good against her skin and helped wake her up. When she got out refreshed, she realized she only had ten minutes, to get to Gabriella's house. "Damn." She muttered to herself as she hurried to her closet.

She quickly pulled out a Mudd blue denim jean skirt, a red spaghetti-strap top, red and white sneakers, and a blue jean jacket. She grabbed her Black Razor cell phone and her house keys. She shoved them into her Baby Phat purse and ran down the stairs. Her mom was in the kitchen, making homemade ice cream, her favorite past time. Taylor, usually helped, but she was already late to meet Gabriella.

"Taylor? Is that you? It's almost noon. You're usually up by the crack of dawn. Where are you going?" Ashley McKessie asked when she saw her daughter heading towards the door.

"Gabs and I got a shopping date." Taylor told her mom, while checking her hair in the mirror next to the door. Ashley smiled while she churned.

"Isn't that all you two have done all summer? Shopping?" Taylor turned and walked towards her mother at the counter.

"That's where having a job come in handy."

"Will you at least get something to eat before you go?" Taylor grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet.

"And we'll stop at McDonald's on the way. Can I go now, please, please, please?" Mrs. Mckessie waved her hand as a blessing.

"Have fun and be careful. Promise?" Taylor walked out the door while waving.

"Promise!" She walked to her red Mercedes convertible. She had gotten it for her sixteenth birthday from her parents, Gabriella getting the same thing but in blue. Taylor drove the 10 blocks to her house, getting there just as Gabriella was walking out the door.

"Right on time, McKessie." She said while getting in her own car, parked on the sidewalk.

"Aren't I always, Montez?" Gabriella rolled her eyes, as she put the car into drive. They reached the mall a little while later and immediately hit the shoe store. They each came out with 5 bags. They went to four other stores before deciding that they had spent enough, and walked out, Gabriella in a fit of giggles.

"Did you see those guys checking us out today? I swear they get hotter everyday!" Taylor scoffed as they placed their bags in their cars.

"They weren't checking us out. They were _**drooling**_. And all over my new shoes too!" They both laughed at this.

"I need a Starbucks coffee." Gabriella suddenly said. Taylor nodded in agreement.

"So do I, but first I got to go get this book from the Barnes and Noble across the street."

"Oh, I'll get your coffee with mine while you get your book, and I'll meet you back here." Gabriella suggested. Taylor agreed and they went their separate ways, Gabriella to the right for Starbucks, and Taylor to the left towards Barnes and Noble. Taylor emerged minutes later, already entranced in her book. Not the best time, when you're walking at a busy intersection.

Chad checked his watch, for what had to be the 5th time in 30 seconds. _**'Why won't the stupid light change?' **_he thought to himself as he watched the cars go by, waiting for the stop sign to change to walk.

Just then, Chad looked up and saw that the most beautiful girl he had ever seen walking in the middle of the street, with her nose in a book. She seemed so into the book, that she didn't notice the car coming straight at her. Chad pushed her back into the street just in time.

"Thank you so much. You just saved my life! I'm Taylor by the way. Taylor McKessie." Chad shook her hand and flashed her a smile.

"Chad Danforth. Let me help you up." Before Taylor could respond, he had gently taken her hand and pulled her up, into a standing position and got his first good look at her.

The miniskirt she was wearing, showed off her nice, shapely legs, and her shirt hugged her curves like a glove. The book that had had her under its spell was _**War and Peace**_. _**'War and Peace? She's got a body and a brain. My two favorite things in a woman.' **_Chad wasn't the only one checking someone out.

Chad was wearing what looked like a very expensive black suit. The jacket was open, revealing a pale blue, pressed button up shirt underneath it. The top three buttons had been left undone, revealing small chest hairs. His pants were pleated and hung at his hips. His hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing a hat. It took a while for either to realize that Chad's hands were still on Taylor's waist, and Taylor's hands were on his chest. They stepped back awkwardly. Before either could speak, the light changed and they were lost in a crowd.

"Taylor! Taylor! TAYLOR!" Taylor shook her head and turned to see her best friend waving her over, from across the mall parking lot. Taylor shook her head again and walked over to her friend.

"What took you so long to answer? Didn't you hear me calling?" Gabriella asked before seeing the distant look in her eyes. "Tay? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I just met the man of my dreams and I'll probably never see him again." Gabriella raised her eyes and her friend's answer.

"Time for you to go home. I think the sun's effecting your brain." Gabriella said while grabbing her friend's hand and dragging her towards her car. Taylor snapped out of it when she noticed her friend didn't believe her.

"Gabs, I'm for real!" She said.

"Tay, so am I!"

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Man, what were you looking at?" Troy said as Chad climbed into his car. Chad shook his head as he strapped himself into the passenger seat next to Troy.

"The girl of my dreams." Troy stared for a while before stepping on the gas and speeding toward Chad's interview.

"Dude. No more liquor for you. I'm serious. None."

**Well, there's the second chapter! What do ya think? Third's on the way!**


	4. Aries

"Tay, what are you doing thinking about a guy that you're probably never gonna see again?" Taylor turned to face her two friends.

"First of all, this was not just a guy. This was the _**finest **_guy you ever did see. I mean Greek Adonis fine. He was perfect. He had fashion taste, a killer smile, greet eyes, and a bod. Oh my god that bod. I could feel his muscles through his shirt and-" Sharpay clapped her hand over her mouth before she could go farther.

"Please stop before you drool over my new pink carpet. Anyway, I got an idea on how you can stop thinking about this guy."

"Good luck. I've already tried that." Gabriella said from beside her and Taylor arched an eyebrow.

"How?" Sharpay put her arms around her two best friends and walked them towards her giant walk-in closet.

"Tonight my girls, we hit the club!"

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Well, that's everything." Chad Danforth said as he placed a box on the floor of his new house. Troy, who had been in the kitchen, poked his head out from the refrigerator.

"You sure?" He asked while getting himself a bottle of water and throwing one at Chad. Chad caught it and nodded.

"Yep." He walked into the kitchen and jumped up onto the tile counter. Troy leaned against the wall opposite him.

_Sexy love_

_Girl the things you do (oh baby, baby)_

_Keep me sprung_

_Keep me running back to you (oh baby, I)_

_OoOo I love_

_Making love to you_

_Baby girl you know your my_

_Sexy love_

"Hey Zeke." Chad said as he put his phone on speaker.

"Hey man. You know where Troy is?"

"I'm here. Where's Jas?" A second voice was heard from through Chad's phone.

"I'm here. Where are you guys?" He asked.

"At Chad's new crib helping him unpack." Troy answered.

"So you guys free tonight?" Zeke asked. Troy raised an eyebrow, though Zeke and Jason couldn't see it.

"I thought you had baking lessons or something tonight." Troy said while walking closer to Chad.

"It was cancelled. So you guys busy or what, cause we were gonna hit the club tonight." Jason responded.

"Sounds good. How does say in about 4 hours sound?" Troy asked.

"Meet ya at 10:30." With that Zeke hung up the phone. Troy squinted at his friend.

"Chad? You okay man? You're quieter than usual." Chad who had been in a daze, snapped to attention.

"What?"

"Dude. Tell me you're not thinking about that one girl whose life you saved." When Chad didn't answer he rolled his eyes. "Look the only thing you know about her is her name and you can't be sure that it's even her real name." Chad gently shoved him.

"Whatever man. I'm telling ya, Troy. She was something special. I just can't figure out why. And that's what's been bothering me." He got down from the counter and Troy walked around the other side of the counter to face him.

"Then this is the perfect way to forget her. A night at the club, one hot, sweaty dance on the dance floor, bing batta bing! Instant forgetation!" Chad chuckled at his friend. He thought for a second, before nodding.

"Sure. But let's just put these boxes in the storage room outside. All my clothes are already in my room." Troy nodded and followed him outside with a box in his hand.

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Time?" Sharpay yelled to Gabriella, who was currently sitting at Sharpay's vanity, applying her make-up. Gabriella looked at the clock next to her.

"10." She yelled back. "Shar, you sure about this? I mean the club thing? What if our parents call while we're out? My mother will go insane if she knew." She stood up from the vanity and smoothed out her denim blue mini-skirt. She also had on a red tank top that had a red flower on the right shoulder. On her feet were red pumps.

Sharpay rolled her eyes as she walked out of her closet. "Gabs, chill. I've already thought of that." She had on a black skirt, a white shirt with small sparkles, and a black vest. Her hair was in curls. "My parents are in Tahiti with my brother for the rest of the week, so you don't have to worry about them answering the phone. Also, I've paid one of the maids, Kelly, to say that we're asleep." Taylor poked her head out the closet.

"I have the feeling you've done this before." She walked out of the closet and was wearing white mini-skirt and a blue tube top. She like the other two, had her hair in curls. "So exactly where are we going?" Sharpay turned to face them with a smirk.

"_**Aries**__**.**_"

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Chad, you ready yet?" Troy yelled from his position on the bed. "We have to meet Jason and Zeke in 30 minutes and it's gonna take at least 15 to get downtown to Zeke's apartment." Chad rolled his eyes as he sprayed Axe over him. He was wearing a white button-up shirt with black slacks. He wore designer shoes and had his hair in its normal frizzy state. He had left the top three buttons open, revealing chest hair. After making sure he looked good, he walked out to where Troy was waiting for him.

Troy was wearing jeans and a fitted black shirt with sliver writing that said, _**Bite Me. You Know You Want To. **_His hair was long, black, and the ends fell into his eyes. When he saw Chad step out of the bathroom, he hopped off the bed.

"About time. You know, you take longer than a girl?" Before Chad could grab him, he ducked out of the way, raced out of the room, and slid down the banister, Chad right behind him. They decided on talking Chad's Lamborghini Reventon, and Troy went in his Ferrari F430 Scuderia. _**(pictures on my profile)**_ They met up with Jason and Zeke in front of the club.

"_**Aries**__**.**_" Chad said in interest. He looked around and saw that the line stretched around the building and down the block. "But look at that line. No way are we getting in anytime soon." Zeke put his arm around his shoulder.

"You guys see the bouncer?" The other three looked at the incredibly beefy man blocking the entrance, who had to be more than 6 feet tall. He had an orange skin tone, which made him look as if he had just gotten a tan. He was wearing black pants, dark sunglasses, a too tight black shirt, and a black leather jacket over it. He had a piercing in his right eyebrow and three earrings in each ear.

"You mean the thing blocking the door who looks like he could eat King Kong for dinner and Godzilla for dessert?" Jason asked. Zeke nodded without a hint of fear.

"Yeah him. Anyway, you remember back before senior year when we worked at the Lava Springs Club?" The three nodded again to show they were following his story. "Well, the chief I helped out with in the kitchen, is his father."

"Are you sure?" Troy asked, glancing back at the guy currently cracking his knuckles. He winced at the sound.

"Just follow me. Will! Hey, Will!" The bouncer turned in the direction of the voice and lifted his sunglasses before doing what appeared to be grinning, but was impossible to tell from behind his moustache.

"Zeke! How are you man?" he said as he did a handshake with Zeke. His friends watched from a distance, as did everyone else.

"I'm good, actually I'm real good. How'd you're girlfriend like the brownies?" Will let out a chuckle.

"She loved them, especially since she thinks I baked them. And adding white chocolate? Genius. You really saved my ass with that one. I owe you, and big time." Zeke's grin got even wider.

"Well, would letting me and my boys cut the count as part of this owing me?" Will unhooked the red velvet curtain that was behind him.

"Go on in."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Here we are!" Sharpay said as she stepped out of her pink car, Taylor and Gabriella behind her. Gabriella who had been shaking inside the convertible, nearly tripped as she stepped out of it.

"Shar! This club is for 21 and up and in case you forgot, you're barely 18. Taylor and I aren't even of age it." Sharpay rolled her eyes at her friend's usually worry.

"What do you think fake I.D.s are for?" she asked as she gave one to both Gabriella and Taylor. Both girls gasped in shock.

"Shar, how long have you-" Taylor started to question as she examined her card.

"Had 'em done about a week ago, just for this occasion." Gabriella looked at her blonde friend like she had just sprouted another head or something.

"Are. You. Insane! If we got caught sneaking in or drinking, we could get arrested! ARESSTED!" she said as she shook Sharpay, trying to make her understand. People walking by would turn to watch.

"Gabs, would you take a chill pill! Look, we're not gonna get caught sneaking in, and if you're worried about the drinking, get a non-alcoholic beverage or water. If anyone asks, tell them that you have to go somewhere later and you don't want to show up drunk." Taylor raised an eyebrow.

"Now I definitely _**know **_you've done this before."

"Look. If we're gonna make this work. You guys have to play along. Just stand there, look good, and let me do the talking." With that being said she turned to face the bouncer, flipped her hair and walked towards him with more confidence than Taylor and Gabriella had ever seen, or ever felt.

"Sharpay Evans! Is that you?"

"Hey Will!" She yelled back as she ran to hug the man who looked like he was once a tree.

"What are you doing here?" Sharpay pulled her I.D. out of her pocket.

"My girls and I decided that we need a night out on the town." Gabriella and Taylor quickly pulled out their I.D.s as well.

"You're 21? Has it really been that long? I mean the last time I checked you were still 18." Sharpay's eyes widened, but showed no other sign of not belonging there.

"Well, you know what they say. Time flies." Will nodded in agreement.

"Well, then, go on in. Have fun. And tell you're father I said hi!"

"Will do!" She said as she grabbed Gabriella's and Taylor's wrists and pulled them in after her. Once inside Gabriella glared.

"Explain how you know him and explain now." She said while crossing her arms. Taylor's arms were also crossed.

"I'm also interested in learning about how you know him."

Old friend of my dad's. Hasn't seen him in years though. Which I guess is a good thing cause if he had, then he would've known we were 18." Gabriella opened her mouth. "That _**I **_was 18." She closed her mouth satisfied. "Come on guys, we are in the hottest club in town. It's time to let loose. After all," she said while walking between them and placing an arm around each shoulder. "We are Wildcats."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Damn! Who knew so many shorties could be in one place at one time?" Zeke said as he watched another girl walk past him. He, Troy and Chad were at the bar observing. Jason had gone off with a girl somewhere not minutes earlier. They didn't expect to see him again and if the way they looked at each other was any indication, they were right.

"I don't know about you two, but I am hitting it tonight!" Troy said and Zeke high-fived him in agreement. He went to High-five Chad, but saw he wasn't listening.

"Chad? Chad? CHAD!" Chad jumped at the third time and saw Zeke and Troy exchanging a look. "Man, this is beginning to be a problem. At first it was just a little crush. Now, you can't focus in a club full of woman!" Troy said. Chad was about to defend himself, when he was hushed by Zeke.

"Dude, shut up. Hotties at 9 o' clock." Chad and Troy turned their heads to see two girls-one with blonde hair and the other with brown-walk up to the bar. "I call the blonde!" Zeke said, raising his hand. Troy snorted in response.

"You can have her. The brunette is mine!" And with that they were off. Their speed gave them an advantage, for they weren't they only ones who had seen the girls. They got there seconds before the others did. They left in disappointment.

"Now what are two completely drop dead gorgeous girls as yourselves doing in a place like this?" Troy said to their backs.

"Yeah, do you know the kind of creeps who like to come here? They pry on innocent girls like yourselves." Zeke added.

"But don't worry. Stick with us, and you'll be safe from harm's way."

"Scouts honour." Zeke and Chad said at the same time. At that the two girls turned around and for the first time the boys got a look at their faces. Their grins widened even more.

"So if a bunch of creeps like to hang out here," Sharpay started.

"Why are you two here?" Gabriella finished. They crossed their arms in unison.

"To make sure girls like you keep their innocence." Zeke said being bold and taking a step forward. Sharpay followed.

"Who said we had them to begin with?" Zeke's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting her to banter back. The blonde smirked at his moment of hesitation.

"Well in that case, you should still be safe. I'd be more than happy to make sure no one hurts you." Zeke said offering his hand.

"Don't you want my name? And don't I deserve yours?" Sharpay said arching an eyebrow. They were both obviously enjoying the game. Zeke hit his head mockingly.

"I'm sorry, I was just so worried about your safety I must have forgotten. I'm Zeke." He held out his hand again. This time she took it.

"Sharpay."

"Well, Sharpay would you honour me with a dance?"

"I'd love to." Zeke began to lead her away, when Gabriella grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" She whispered frantically. Sharpay turned towards the two boys.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" Without waiting fro a response she pulled Gabriella out of earshot.

"Call me crazy, but it doesn't seem like you're getting any tonight." Zeke said looking at Troy. "Maybe it's just me, but she seems like the kind who isn't even gonna let you get to third base without a ring, let alone let you make a home run." Troy eyed the brunette up and down.

"Whatever you say. I happen to like a challenge."

"Really? Well why don't we put that to a little wager." Troy smiled.

"I'm listening."

"300 bucks cash she won't sleep with you tonight." Troy nodded a few times. He held out his hand.

"Deal?"

"Deal."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Gabs, what the hell is your problem? There is a guy, a _**hot **_guy over there who can't seem to stop looking at you. What do you want?" Sharpay asked.

"What am I supposed to do? I'm not like you and Taylor. I don't know how to act around guys. I'm not good at it." Sharpay rolled her eyes as if the answer was simple, and according to her it was.

"Well that answer is obvious. Don't be you." Gabriella's face screwed up in confusion.

"I'm not sure that's possible."

"No stupid! I mean don't be yourself. Let me break it down for ya. Inside every girl, even you though it's probably deep, deep, _**deep**_, down, is an inner wild child. A bad girl. A secret wish to spend the whole night out with a guy you don't know on the back of his Harley. You can't tell me that you've never wanted that." Gabriella looked down at the ground.

"Well, maybe _**once**_…"

"You see? So channel this girl. Put Gabriella-the book loving, school studying, brainiac away fro the night and unleash Bree. The carefree girl who could care less if she got good grades in school, or got home at three AM after being to a rave." Be Bree." With that, she walked back to where Zeke was and grabbed his hand. "Good luck!" She said as they passed on their way to the dance floor. Gabriella, who currently had her back to Troy, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Be Bree. Be Bree. Be Bree." She turned to face Troy with what she hoped was a seductive look. Troy sent her one of his own, so she guessed she succeeded.

"If you want me to leave, I'll go." Troy said with a smirk. Gabriella shook Her head.

"Sorry about that. Girl thing, you know?" Troy faked a confused look.

"Actually, since I'm like a guy and all, I don't." They both laughed. "Can I get you a drink?" Troy asked while turning to face the bar.

"I can't drink." Gabriella said. Troy raised his eyebrows. Gabriella nervously twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "I just mean that I can't drink because I'm supossed to drive my friends home tonight and I'd rather not wreck my car or get a ticket." Troy nodded his head in agreement. He then turned back to the bartender.

"I'll have a beer, and the lady will have a…Virgin Pina Colada?" He asked turning to Gabriella who nodded. When he returned with the drinks, Troy pulled out his wallet and paid before Gabriella could even blink. "Here you go." He said while handing it to her. Gabriella shook her head.

"You shouldn't have paid for my drink."

"A gorgeous girl like you? I would have more of an idiot than I already am to not buy your drink. Before I forget, I'm Troy. Troy Bolton."

"Nice to meet you." Gabriella said while sipping her drink. Troy stared at her for a while, as if waiting for something. After a few minutes, Gabriella understood what he was waiting for. "Sorry. I'm Bree. Bree Montez." Troy smiled.

"Bree. Is that short for something? Bria, Breanna, Gabriella?" Troy asked. Gabriella, or Bree, shook her head as she sat down in a nearby booth. Troy sat down next to her.

"No. It's just Bree." Then she heard a voice in her heads that sounded oddly like Sharpay. _**'What the hell do you think you are doing? You keep making yourself sound so damn boring, and this guy is gonna move on! Do something and hell do it quick!' **_Gabriella shook her head, but mentally agreed with her Mind Sharpay. She had to start flirting, and she had to do it fast.

"Hey, Bree? Bree? Bree. You okay?" Bree snapped out of it to see Troy staring at her in confusion. "You kind of zoned out for a bit there. Are you alright?"

Gabriella nodded and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm fine, I was just thinking."

"About what?" Gabriella took this moment to move in closer to Troy.

"How completely hot you are." Troy chuckled and looked down.

"Can't really disagree with that. You're pretty smokin' yourself." Gabriella blushed, but grinned.

"So what is a hot guy like you doing alone?" Bree asked as she moved closer. Troy placed his left arm on the back of the booth.

"Not enough time for a relationship. Only enough time for flings." Troy took another swing of beer. This time Bree moved so close that she was in his lap.

"What a cocincidence. I only have time for flings as well." Troy put his beer back down on the table, and placed his hands on her waist.

"Really? What are you doing later?" Bree smirked.

"You." And with that she kissed him. _**"Being bad is easier than it seems. I should do it more often." **_

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

While his three friends were off doing god knows what, Chad sat at the bar trying to decide what to do. Three different girls had already bought him three different drinks. Troy's words rang in his head. _**'she's gone, you don't know her, and you'll never see her again. Let her go.' **_Chad blew out a sigh.

"The guys are right." He muttered. "I'm Chad Danforth. What the hell am I doing, moping around? I'm gonna get up and get some. Now." With that in his head, he slammed the beer on the table and walked out on the dance floor just as _Please Don't Stop the Music _came on. Just then he saw a girl, well the back of a girl, dancing in the middle of the floor. He went behind her, placed his hands on her waist, and began to grind against her as the chorus came on.

_I wanna take you away_

_Let's escape into the music DJ let it play_

_I just can't refuse it_

_Like the way you do this_

_Keep on rockin to it_

_Please don't stop the, please don't stop the music_

_I wanna take you away_

_Let's escape into the music DJ let it play_

_I just can't refuse it_

_Like the way you do this_

_Keep on rockin to it_

_Please don't stop the, please don't stop the, please don't stop the music_

Her hands went around his neck and he leaned in till his mouth was next to her ear.

"What's your name?" He wishpered. He heard her scoff.

"Does it matter?" She wishpered back. Chad grinned. He liked the quick thinking. He also liked the warm body that was in front of him.

"Why don't we get out here and see how much trouble we can get into?" Her hand found his from under her shirt.

"I'm already halfway out the door." She said. With that, she grabbed his hand, and walked out of the club without a second glace. As Chad followed her he saw Jason with a girl in a corner, Zeke and Sharpay on the floor, and Troy and Gabriella in a booth. It seemed that all of them were getting lucky tonight. With that last thought, he walked out the door and towards his car.

**_Not much Chaylor in this chapter i know. I'm working on it. I think this is pretty good, put i want your opion. so please leave a review. I accept annonomus ones so if you read, tell me what you think about it, and how i should make it better. Also curretnly working on getting pictures on my profile of the guy's cars._**


	5. When Mom Comes Around

_Sexy love_

_Girl the things you do (oh baby, baby)_

_Keep me sprung_

_Keep me running back to you (oh baby, I)_

_OoOo I love_

_Making love to you_

_Baby girl you know your my_

_Sexy love_

Chad groaned and put his head between his hands. He picked it up and growled when he saw who it was.

"Bolton, I'm gonna kick your ass." Chad muttered into the phone.

"Seems like somebody had too much to drink last night." Troy sounded too cheerful.

"You had just as much to drink last night as I did. Why are you so happy so early?"

"First of all it's three in the afternoon. Second I might have done something with a certain someone." Chad could hear him grinning.

"Who?" The grin fell.

"Bree."

"What's her last name?"

"I…don't…know. And don't even think about laughing. I know for a fact that you have no idea who the girl sleeping in your bed next to you is." Chad turned still groaning.

"SHIT!" He exclaimed and once again grabbed his head. Beside him was the girl from last night. Just like before he couldn't see her face; it was covered by a curtain of hair. He looked closer, hoping she hadn't noticed his outburst. She was still asleep. "Troy, I gotta go." Chad hung up his phone, and placed it back on the table. Then he took five deep breaths in.

"Calm down Chad. Breath. Now, first. Who is she?" He looked over at her again. "Okay, I don't know. Alright, think. What happened?" Flaskbacks came to him. The first he remembered clearly. They were still at the club. The rest weren't as clear. There was one of them getting in the car. Another of her kissing his neck as he drove. Then one of them stumbling in the house and walking up the stairs. The last was them on his bed kissing, her on top unbuttoning her shirt. "Shit." He muttered again.

He slightly picked up the covers and peeked underneath. He was still in his boxers. She was wearing her skirt from before and a spotted lepord bra. Since losing his virginity at 15, Chad had never been known to sleep with a girl and wake up the next morning with both of them still wearing clothes. He breathed a sigh of relief and crept out of the bed. He then headed towards the Kitchen. He took a Starbucks Coffee from in the refrigerator and began to drink it, while deciding what to do.

_Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong. _Chad dragged his feet across the floor and towards the door. "Damnit Troy, not now." Chad said while opening the door and closing his eyes because of the sun.

"Troy? The last time I checked my name was Cara." Chad's eyes snapped open. Standing in front him was his mother, with grocery bags around her. In the distance he could see a car driving off. It had to be his dad. He looked back at his mother.

"Mom! He studdered. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't visit my son? Besides, you could use a good home cooked meal, you being a bachelor and all. Go put on your pants." She said while inviting herself in. "Get the other bags." Chad did as he was told and brought the rest of the bags into the kitchen. Then he ran up the stairs and stopped at his room.

He gently opened the door, and peeked in. She was still in there asleep. He guessed she had more to drink then he did. He crept over to his bedside table to get his phone. When he was about to pull his hand back, the girl turned so he could see her face. He gasped it was the girl he had met that day at on the sidewalk. All this time he had been looking for her and here she was just as beautiful as she had been then. He was about to shake her awake, when a yell from downstairs made him remember why he was up there in the first place.

"Chad! Chadders! Chaddy! Where are you?" He groaned at her pet names for him and flipped open his phone, pressing number 2 and pushing the call button. It was answered on the 4th ring.

"Yo." Troy answered.

"Troy. 911. Hot half-naked girl in bedroom. Mother cooking downstairs. Currently in boxers. Help!" He wishpered in one breath.

"I'm on my way." Then there was a dial tone on the other end of the phone. Chad sighed.

CHAD! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!" he grumbled as he trudged down the stairs. Too bad he hadn't stayed ten seconds more, because that's when Taylor's phone rang.

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

_I'm putting in homework_

_(Till I get to know you)_

_I'm putting in homework_

_(I'll study your every move)_

_I'm putting in homework_

_Till I know everything you like_

_I'm gonna push, gonna mash, gonna grind_

_I'm on the grind till I know it_

_I'm putting in homework_

Taylor groaned and reached for her phone on the dresser. Her head felt like lead. "Hello?" She groaned into the phone. A frantic angry whisper was on the other line.

"Taylor Marie Ann McKessie! Where the hell are you? I've spent 2 hours, _**2 hours,**_ trying to find you in the club last night. And then I try to text you and you don't respond. What am I going to do if your parents call? You better be in the hospital or else I'm gonna put you there when I see you!" Taylor moved her hair from her face and sighed.

"Sorry Shar-"

"Oh don't you sorry Sharpay me!" Sharpay interrupted. "You have got to do better than that."

"I am sorry. I drank last night and now I've got a hangover." Taylor decided that she should make Sharpay feel sorry for her so that she might give her a break. It didn't work.

"Whatever. Look where are you?" Taylor was about to say her room when she actually looked around. Even in her current state, she could tell when she was somewhere she knew. She didn't recognize anything.

"This isn't my room." She muttered sitting up straight in the bed, now fully awake.

"What?" Sharpay asked.

"This isn't my bed." Taylor ran to the doors across the room and opened them. "This isn't my closet." She ran to the window. "That isn't my backyard." She ran to the door and opened it. She tiptoed on the carpet and leaned over the edge at the top of the stairs and looked down at the floor. "This isn't my house."

"I knew that. What I don't know is where you are." Sharpay said. Taylor went back into the room.

"Shar that's it. I don't know where I am. I'm in some big mansion. What should I do?" Before Sharpay could answer, Taylor heard footsteps on the stairs, and were gradually getting louder. "Someone's coming. Gotta go." She snapped her phone shut.

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Chad get the door." Cara said not taking her eyes off of cutting the carrots. Chad did as he was told praying it was Troy. It was.

"Dude I'm here, I'm here, I'm here! Where is she?" Troy was panting and his hair was sticking to his face as if he had just ran all the way over there. "Upstairs in my bedroom. Go see if she is awake and come back and tell me." Troy nodded and stepped into the house and headed for the stairs.

"Hello, Troy." Cara called from the kitchen.

"Hello Cara!" He called back. Chad sighed and headed back to the kitchen and Troy towards the door. He opened it and was greeted by a half naked girl staring at him with wide eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked placing her hands on her hips. Troy leaned against the doorframe.

"Anyone you want me to be." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Don't even try that. I saw you last night with Gabriella." Troy looked confused.

"Who's Gabriella? I hung out with a Bree."

"Whatever. Look, I don't know who you are, so get out."

"Considering the fact that I'm not the one in my spotted bra and short skirt, I don't think you should be calling the shots." Taylor took this moment to look down. She screamed and grabbed a sheet from the bed to cover herself.

"What was that?" Cara said looking up. She had just put the pie in the oven. Chad didn't look up, but his heart skipped a beat.

"Probably the neighbors."

"Please do not scream."

"And why not?" Taylor said glaring at the guy in front of her.

"Because my best friend-the guy you met last night-mother is downstairs right now and finding a girl half-naked not even two weeks after he moved into his new house isn't going to be good for either of you." Taylor noticed the empty boxes in the room for the first time.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Taylor said through her clenched teeth.

"I suggest getting dressed. Look, I'll go get my friend right now. Just, don't leave." Troy said as he walked out the door. He went down the stairs two at a time. He then whispered something in Chad's ear, took the knife from Chad's hand and Chad walked towards the stairs.

"Bathroom." Chad asked his mother's unanswered question. He headed towards his room. He let out a sigh and opened the door.

"It's you!"

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

Taylor sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. _'why oh why did I drink last night?'_ she thought to herself. _'I should have done like Sharpay said and told them I was a driver.' _She said thinking about the guys who had bought her a few rounds of shots. _'Why the hell did I listen to them?' _Just then the door opened and she hoped off the bed preparing herself for the worst. What she saw shocked her.

"It's you!" She exclaimed. Staring dead at her, only feet away , was the guy who had invaded all of her thoughts. This was the guy who because of, her two best friends thought she was insane. This was who had saved her life. This was probably also the guy who she had met last night, she added after an afterthought. She felt her cheeks warm at the thought of what might have happened the night before. "You're the guy who saved my life." He looked down sheepishly and grinned.

"You remember me."

"You don't forget something like almost dying so easily." Chad rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not to be rude or anything…um…?"

"Oh. Taylor. Taylor McKessie." Taylor said realizing they didn't know each others names.

"Not to be rude or anything Taylor, but um, perhaps you want to put a shirt on?" For the second time, Taylor realized she wasn't wearing a top. This time she crossed her arms and looked for her shirt. She found it by the door. She turned from Chad and put on her shirt with shaking hands.

"Chad." She turned at the sound of his voice.

"What?"

"My name. Chad. Chad Danforth." Taylor nodded finally understanding. She then began to search for her shoes. As she bent down to look under the bed, It took all of Chad's willpower to not stare at her behind. He was glad when she straightened up again.

"Well it was nice seeing you again, but I have to go-"Taylor said as she started towards the door but Chad blocked her way.

"You can't go down there. My mom would pop a blood vessel if she saw you." Taylor sighed.

"Well, I kind of have to go home."

"I know, I know. Do you have any ideas?" Chad asked sitting down on his bed. Taylor hesitantly followed suit.

"Well before I answer that, I was just wondering. Well, um, what exactly happened last night?" She said burning a hole in the floor. Chad coughed.

"I don't…exactly remember…completely. I remember flashbacks." He could tell that Taylor was frightened by how her hands gripped her knees. "But, you were still completely clothed. Other than your shirt. I mean that kind of proves we couldn't have done anything." Taylor nodded and slowly unclenched her fists and her breathing returned to normal.

"Right. So, how about this. Your friend, what's his name?"

"Troy."

"What if Troy distracts your mother-" Chad interrupted.

"And you sneak down the stairs? I've been trying to do that my whole life. My mom's got eyes in the back of her head, the sides of her head, the top of her head, and of course the ones in the front. She will see you 50 feet away." Taylor giggled.

"What do you want me to do, climb out the window?" Chad didn't answer. "I wasn't serious." She quickly added when she saw he was thinking about it. "I really wasn't serious. It was a joke." She said when he stood up and began to pace.

"That might be a good idea."

"What?" Taylor exclaimed while standing up also. "You want me to jump out the window? In case you don't know this, but not the best way to impress a girl."

"I would never make you jump out the window. What I want you to do is climb down the tree outside that's next to the balcony." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Oh yes. Because that solution is so much better then the jumping out the window."

"Do you have a better idea?" Taylor kept quiet. "Now it's really not that hard. The tree is pretty strudy and so are the branches so I doubt they'll break under you." Taylor stood up and placed her fists on her hips and cocked out her right up.

"And what makes you think that a bunch of branches are going to hold my weight?" Chad shrugged as he went over to the window and opened it.

"It holds mine." Then he turned around, took Taylor's hand and walked her over to the window. "I'll go first." He swung one leg out of the window. He reached for a branch that was above his head, as he swung his other leg out the window. With both hands on the branch above, he lifted himself off the windowsill and onto the lower branch, that didn't, as promised, sag under his weight. He offered his hand to Taylor who looked at him like he was crazy.

"Did last night's liquor affect your brain? Or are you crazy as hell everyday?" Chad didn't answer and just continued to hold his hand out. Taylor sighed before swinging a leg out of the window. "If I fall, I'll kill you, Chad. I swear!" Chad nodded.

"Don't worry. I'd never let you fall." He smiled to reassure her. It hardly worked. Chad saw Taylor shaking as she grabbed a brach, trying to steady herself. Chad grabbed her and slid her further on the branch so that she wasn't as close to the edge. "Now was that so hard?" Taylor just glared.

"OK, we're in the tree. Now how do we get down, Mr. Know-It-All?"

"Good point. How about this. I throw you down, and you cusion the blow. I was just kidding." Chad added when he saw that Taylor was about to smack him.

Slowly and gingerly, they shimmed down the tree till they were safely on the ground. After that they ran over to Chad's car. Chad pulled the keys out of his pocket, and as quietly as possible, so as not to arouse suspician from his mother. They drove in silence except for the ocasional direction from Taylor. Finnally Chad pulled into the Evans' driveway.

"So, I guess I better-" Taylor started, but before she could finish, Chad had taken her face in his hands and had kissed herr dead on the lips. Taylor froze for a second, before responding as eagerly as him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Chad's traveled down to her waist. Chad heistantly licked Taylor's lips and Taylor immediately allowed him entrance, causing the kiss to get more heated than before. When they both began to feel light-headed from loss of oxygen, they seperated. They were panting heavily.

"What was that for?" She asked him. Chad shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm not sure. I thinks it's because I wanted to let you know that whatever happened last night wasn't because I was drunk. Well, it was mostly because I was drunk, but still. I feel a sexual attraction to you, and I think you feel it too. But I don't just want the physical. I'd like to get to know you better Taylor. What about you?" Taylor stared at him for a few seconds with a blank expression before opening her door and getting out of his car without a word.

Chad hung his head in dissapointment and closed his eyes. _**'Damn. I really liked her too.'**_ Before he could think of anything else, he felt his head being pulled back and soft lips on his. This kiss was gentler and sweeter than the first and when Taylor pulled away, Chad was left wanting more.

You can take that as a yes. I would like to get to know you better." With that being said she left the car side and sauntered over to the front door. When she reached it, she turned around and sent him a wink before entering the house, and shutting the door behind her.

With the door shut, Chad let out a breath he was not aware he was holding. _**'Damn it! I still don't have her number!'**_ Chad reached in his pocket for a pen and felt a piece of paper. He pulled it out and uncrumbled it.

_Chad, _

_Call Me._

_976-452-3871 _**(A/N I don't know if this is a real number, please don't call)**

_Taylor_


	6. Say Hello To Chemistry

For the next few weeks, neither Taylor nor Chad's friends saw hair or hide of them. You call their cells, they didn't pick up. You call their houses, they weren't there. You ask everyone, everyone would shrug. They always seemed to be off somewhere in private and were rarely in the public eye. Tonight was no exception. It was the last night of summer. The last night of freedom. The last night before having to go back to school. In other words, the last night Taylor and Chad had together. They were currently on the roof of his house staring up at the stars. Neither dared to admit it out loud, but they both knew what the other was thinking. They only had a few minutes left together before Taylor had to leave.

"You go to school here in Albuquerque?" Chad asked for what had to be the hundredth time. Taylor nodded. _**'Good.'**_ Chad thought. _**'I'll be able to see her at the university anytime I want.' **_They sat in silence for a moment as they looked back at the stars.

"Quite the summer, huh?" Taylor asked.

"Quite the summer." Chad agreed. "I've got something for you." He pulled out a small velvet box from in his pocket and handed it to her, silently praying she'd like it. Her expression when she opened it told him she did. "Do you like it?" He asked already knowing her answer.

"Like it? I love it! Thank you so much Chad!" She picked up the locket. It was gold and heart-shaped. She opened it, and inside was a picture they had taken on their first official date to the beach. Chad had taken the picture right before they left. Taylor was grinning at the camera as Chad kissed her cheek.

"Read the back." He whispered in her ear. She turned it over and the inscription almost brought tears to her eyes.

"_Taylor_," She read out loud. "_I rememeber every summer I've had since I was 4. But since meeting you, I can't remember a single one, because you weren't a part of them. You've changed my life. I don't know how I lived without you before, and I sure as hell don't know how to do that know. My heart is yours, Chad_." She turned to face him, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much." Chad grinned.

"It was the least I could do. Happy birthday."

"Help me put it on?" She asked. He took it from her hands and she turned so her back was to him. When the locket was in place, she turned back to face him. "How does it look?" He grinned and moved closer to her until his lips were a wishper away.

"Perfect." Then he kissed her. She placed her hands on his shoulders, before slowly working them up into his unruly hair. Chad's hands went to her waist and pulled her closer. He licked her bottom lip and she opened to him instantly. Subconsciously, Chad laid Taylor down on the roof and climbed on top of her. The kiss continued to become more heated. When Chad realized that they were close to rolling off the roof, he reluctantly broke the kiss. "Tay, we have to stop." His breath came out in pants as did Taylor's. Taylor pouted.

"Why?"

"Because I'd rather not fall off the roof. I'd actually like to live to see tomorrow." Just then Taylor's cell phone rang. She answered it without taking her eyes off of Chad.

"Yes? Okay. See ya." She hung up. "That was Sharpay." She said she'd be here in 5 minutes. Chad nodded saddened by the fact their last evening together was over. They walked to the trapdoor and climbed down into the attic. Then they walked in silence to the front door. By the time they got there, Sharpay's pink car was in the driveway. Taylor turned to Chad.

"Good-" Chad started, but Taylor covered his mouth with her hand, before he could go any further.

"Don't. This isn't goodbye. This is just…see ya later." He nodded.

"See ya."

"See ya. Chad hugged her tightly to him, never wanting to let go. Taylor didn't want to either. They probably would've stayed locked in their tight embrace if it weren't for Sharpay honking. They reluctantly pulled away and shared one last chaste kiss.

"See ya." They whispered at the same time. Taylor slowly began to walk toward the car, twirling her locket the whole while. When she entered Sharpay's car, she sighed.

"You okay?" Sharpay asked. Taylor nodded.

"I'll be fine." Sharpay sighed.

"Tay, those aren't the same thing and you know it."

"I don't want to talk about it. Just drive. Please?"

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Are you sure about this? Seriously you just got drafted-"

"And my contract doesn't start till next fall. How many times are we gonna go through this discussion? What am I supposed to do till then?" Chad asked Troy as they carried boxes into a building. They were on the Albuquerque Academy Campus, which was supposed to be one of the top co-ed boarding schools academically, and athletically. Chad had just accepted a teaching job there.

"I don't know. But you could have chosen to do anything, and you chose teaching? What are you gonna be teaching anyway?"

"Chemistry."

"Wasn't that your worst subject in high school?"

"What's your point? I got better in College."

"We went to the same college. You didn't do that much better." He ducked as a pillow came his way. "This is retarded."

"What is?"

"We just moved all your stuff into your house. Now we're moving half of it into a school. This is bullshit." Chad laughed.

"Well, it's all here, so you have nothing else to worry about, you big whiner. I can finally understand why your parents were so happy when we left for California." This time the pillow was aimed at Chad.

"How's Taylor?" Troy asked as Chad began to put things away. Chad shrugged.

"I don't know. I called her this morning, but her phone went straight to voicemail. What do you think it means?" Troy shrugged.

"It could mean anything. She left her phone somewhere, it's off, it's dead, or she's found someone better and she doesn't want to crush you so now she's avoiding you. Anything's possible." Chad rolled his eyes and looked down at his watch.

"Shit." He started flipping open suitcases, and flinging clothes out of them.

"What?" Troy asked, narrowly missing getting hit by a T-shirt.

"I'm supposed to meet with the dean in 20 minutes. My first class starts at 10 and it's 9." He scrambled around in his bags till he found what he was looking for. A while pressed long-sleeved shirt, black slacks and dress shoes. The shirt had two intersecting As. After he was dressed, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned to face Troy. "How do I look?" Troy gave him the once over.

"Like shit." Chad narrowed his eyes.

"Are you going to be using that word all day?"

"Most likely."

"Look, would you do me a favor and take this key, get it copied, and leave the copy under the mat in front of the door."

"You don't have a mat." Chad reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet. And gave Troy 20 bucks.

"Go buy one." Chad picked up a backpack from in the corner, placed it on his back and headed out the door.

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"So Mr. Danforth, do you think you are up for the challenge?" Dean Warrens asked Chad. They were back in Chad's new classroom after the tour of the school. The students would be coming in for their first class in a few minutes. Chad nodded.

"I'm pretty sure, I've got it down." Dean Warrens nodded. Just then the bell rang.

"Here they come." With in seconds, students, began to pour in. The guys wore uniforms similar to that of Chad's. Pressed white shirt with the double As, black slacks, and dress shoes. The girl's uniforms were the white shirt, black skirt with the double As in the top right corner, and the choice black shoes. Stockings were also optional. As the students piled in, they all would stop to stare at the new teacher, especially the girls. One even went so far as to go up to him and shake his hand.

"Nice to have you, Mr. Danforth. I have a feeling that this is going to be my favorite class." She said before turning to go sit down, taking extra precaution to sway her hips.

"Sasha Meyers. Quite the vixen. I'm warning you. Watch out." Dean Warrens whispered in Chad's ear. Chad nodded, understanding. Just then the bell rang, and Dean Warrens clapped his hands. "Good Morning!"

"Good Morning, Dean Warrens."

"You guys can be more excited then that. So, let's try again. Good Morning!" The students gave him the same response in the same monotone voice.

"Good morning, Dean Warrens." Warrens rolled his eyes.

"I give up. Anyway class, I'd like to introduce your new Chemistry teacher, Mr. Chad Danforth." All of the girls sighed, while the guys glared.

"Good morning, Mr. Danforth." All the girls said eagerly. Dean Warrens raised an eyebrow.

"Now how come I can't get that reaction out of you all?" A boy with blonde hair raised his hand.

"Was that question rhetorical?" He asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"Yes, Ryan. It was." Just then someone came running through the door.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I'm part of the welcoming committee and the students I was leading were being difficult." The late girl said. Chad turned to face her to tell her it was fine and stopped breathing.

"That's quite alright, Ms. McKessie. With your schedule, it's amazing you make it anywhere on time." Dean Warrens said. "Mr. Danforth, I'd like to introduce you to your best student, Taylor McKessie." Dean Warrens said as Taylor turned to face him. Both of their jaws hit the floor.

"Taylor?!"

Chad?!"


	7. School, School, Don't Be Late

_**I LOVE YOU ALL AND I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PEACE, LUV, AND HAIRGREASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

Dean Warrens looked back between the two. "You know each other?"

"You could say that." Taylor muttered under her breath. Dean Warrens smiled.

"Well in that case, you won't have a problem showing Mr. Danforth around the campus, will you Taylor? I didn't get to finish it. No one knows as much about the school's history and secret passages as you do." Taylor forced a smile.

"I'd be happy to." Dean warrens laughed.

Great! Well Mr. Danforth, I'll leave you to your lessons and your students. If you have any problems, you know where my office is. Taylor, class, Sasha. Behave." Sasha in turn rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Dean Warrens sent Chad once last encouraging smile before closing the door behind him. Chad closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning back around to see Taylor still staring at him.

"Ms. McKessie. Would you please take your seat?" Taylor snapped out of it at the sound of Chad's voice. She quickly turned and began to walk towards the only seat available which was in the middle of the front row between Sasha and Ryan. Ryan smiled at her as she sat down and Sasha sent her a look of disgust. Chad walked to the front of his desk and leaned against it.

"Since all the seats are full, I'm not gonna bother taking roll. You are all obviously here. Now first. Don't call me Mr. Danforth. That is my father and I'm not that old. It's Chad. Not Chaddy as my grandmother says. Not Chaddikins as my mother says. And definitely not my full name Chadwick. That is only used when I'm in trouble. I will call everyone by their first name, or a nickname if they want. I will only use last names when I am annoyed or angry with you. So if you never hear me say your last name, you have nothing to worry about. When I was in school I used to hate the whole wall between the teacher and the student so I'm not gonna create it. So if you need to talk to me about anything, don't hesitate to ask." Every girl except Taylor's hand shot up. "No I am not looking for a girlfriend." The groans were unanimous. "I am currently in a very committed relationship. We've been together for over a month. It's very serious." As he was saying this, he was staring directly at Taylor who suddenly took an interest in the top of the table. "So, once again. I'm Chad. And if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. To be completely honest I don't have anything planned for today. Or for the week. So this will be chill week. Where you guys get to know me and I get to know you a little better. Come next week, we actually have to learn. So any questions?" Four hands shot up. "You in the back. You are…"

"Kelsi Nelson. Why did you decide to become a chemistry teacher?"

"Because I was one of the kids growing up who enjoyed blowing things up. And burning things. I was a bit of a pyro. I still sort of am. Any others?" A girl with curly brown hair next to a window raised his hand.

"You are…"

"Martha Cox. How come we've never seen you around school before?"

"Because this is my first year at Albuquerque Academy. I saw that they were looking for a Chemistry teacher and I didn't have anything to do for the year, so I said why not?" Ryan raised his hand.

"You don't seem like the teachy type. It wasn't your major, was it?"

"You know, you're pretty smart Ryan. It wasn't. I went to college on a basketball scholarship, but had to take some classes. So I majored in music and minored in Chemistry. But they already had a music teacher, so this was a second choice. One more question." Sasha raised her hand. "Sasha."

"Are you free this weekend?" Chad rolled his eyes.

"Once again, in a completely committed relationship. So stop. Alright. So I've got paperwork to finish, so you guys can do whatever as long as you're not too loud." Chad said as he walked around to his desk and sat down. "Taylor, see me before you leave." Taylor's head shot up and Sasha gasped.

"Why do you want to see her?" She asked. "She's not that pretty!"

"Yeah, I'm not that-Hey!" Taylor said.

"I need to see her because Dean Warrens said that she knew the most about the school. Unless you are trying to tell me that he was lying and you are actually the brightest in your year, then I frankly don't see what you are complaining about. Don't you agree Ms.," Chad looked down at the roster on his desk. "Meyers?" Sasha slowly nodded.

"Yes…Chad." Taylor had to try to stop the smile that was creeping on her face. The class, not exactly sure of what to do sat in silence for 10 minutes, before they began talking. Taylor sat in silence and stared at the floor, hoping no one else could hear the rapid beating of her heart. She looked up every once in a while to see Chad staring intently at her every time.

When the bell rang, Chad spoke again. "Alright. I'll learn all of your names tomorrow. Taylor," she looked up at the sound of her name. "Stay." The class oohed as they left. Martha even sent her a thumbs-up and a wink from the door. Taylor hadn't moved an inch from her seat. "Taylor, would you come to my desk please?" Taylor slowly stood and walked over to him. "When's your lunch?"

"12:15." She answered not looking up from the floor.

"Mine too. I don't have time to talk to you as much as I should before my next class comes in, so we'll talk then. I'll meet you at your dorm room. What is it?"

"Alexander Hall, room 8." Chad nodded.

"See you then." Just then, students began entering, and Troy followed them.

"What's up, man?" He said while towards the desk. Taylor recognized him and instantly looked at the floor, making her hair hide her face as she briskly walked to the door and out of it. "Dude that girl looked a lot like Taylor. Did you notice? Or was that actually Taylor? I mean she was wearing a uniform, so it couldn't have been, right? I mean it's not like she's your student." Troy said while chuckling, before noticing that Chad hadn't said anything. "She's not one of your students, right?" Once again Chad didn't speak. "Chad. Answer me. Was that Taylor or one of your students?" Chad didn't make eye contact.

"Both."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"God Taylor! Slow down! What's the rush?" Gabriella asked as she tried to keep up with her friend.

"It's nothing." Taylor said while continuing to slowly get faster.

"Well then stop acting like you're trying out for track and walk. You can not afford to sweat in this uniform. Shar would kill you." Taylor sighed. They had reached their study hall and she dropped into a seat in the back, rubbing her temples.

"Let's just say Chemistry wasn't fun." Gabriella's eyebrows knitted together as Sharpay walked into the room.

"Isn't that like your best subject?" Gabriella asked while pulling off her backpack.

"Aren't all subjects her best subjects?" Sharpay asked while pulling a nail file out of her purse. Taylor rolled her eyes and stood up, and went to the back of the room and began writing on the board.

"Does this have something to do with Sasha?" Gabriella asked following Taylor, Sharpay not to far behind.

"Meyers is still a skank?" Sharpay questioned. "And what's with that text she just sent me?"

"What text?" Gabriella asked while crossing her arms. Sharpay handed her her phone and Gabriella squinted at the message.

"Hot new Chem teacher? And why does that look like Chad?" Taylor snapped the piece of chalk she was holding in half and watched as it fell to the floor. Sharpay grabbed her phone back and gasped at the picture.

"What the hell? Chad?" Sharpay's shocked voice carried and caused those who currently had been ignoring the three turn around to stare.

"Say it a little louder why don't ya?" Taylor said while picking up a new piece of chalk and continuing to write.

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Class, this is my best friend, Troy. And like a best friend, he is being a pain and not leaving." Chad said while turning around to glare at his friend, who had made himself comfortable on his desk. Troy smiled and waved.

"Anyway, I'm Chad, and I'll be your chemistry teacher for the year. I grew up here in Albuquerque, I went to University of Albuquerque on a basketball scholarship and-" Chad suddenly stopped when his pocket began to virbrate. He pulled his phone out and opened it to see that he had gotten a new message.

"Hey! How come we can't be on our phones?" A boy with blonde hair yelled from the back. Chad looked up.

"Do you have a college degree?"

"No."

"Then shut up. Also, I'm not on my phone. Troy's being stupid and just sent me a message." Chad replied while he quickly sent one back and shut his phone. "Like I was saying, I went to U of A on a basketball scholarship and majored in music, while minoring in Chemistry. Any questions?" One hand shot up and Chad had a pretty good idea what the question was.

"Are you single?" Everyone, including the guys leaned forward, anxious for the answer.

"No." They all leaned back in their seats, girls disappointed, guys thrilled. Well, most of them anyway. Another hand went in the air.

"Yes?"

"Is Troy single?" Troy looked up from his phone and laughed.

"Yes, but I'm also not interested."

"Bet I could prove you wrong." Nameless girl said while grinning. Troy's eyes widened and he looked down back down at his phone when it buzzed. Glaring at Chad, he responded,

"Yes, but if your parents pressed charges, which I'm sure they would, I would get in trouble. So, never gonna happen." He said returning his gaze to his phone. Chad tried to regain the attention of the class.

"Look. Just do whatever and don't be too loud. Troy and I will be outside. We have some things to discuss." Chad said while walking towards the door, grabbing Troy's arm along the way. Once the door closed behind them, Troy launched into his attack.

"So what's up with Mini Taylor?" He asked while leaning against the door and crossing his arms. "Is she related to her and that's how she looks like her or is it just an unlucky circumstance?"

"Yes and no."

"Care to elaborate?"

"She looked like Taylor because she was Taylor. And It's unlucky because I just found out I'm dating one of my students." Troy's jaw dropped.

"She's your student?!" Troy exclaimed.

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"He's my teacher!" Taylor said while figuring out a problem on the board. Gabriella and Sharpay's faces were complete mirrors of each other.

"God Tay. I knew he was older, but I didn't know he was that much older." Sharpay said. Taylor banged her head against the board and sighed.

"What should I do?" She asked desperately.

"I want to know how the huge age difference never came up. Taylor, do you even know how old he actually is?" Gabriella asked. Taylor's mane of curls shook. "Does he know how old you are?" Another shake. "Do you actually even know anything about him?" Taylor removed her head from the board and glared at her best friends.

"I'm not an idiot. Of course I know things about him. His favorite color is red, favorite sport is basketball, favorite food is pasta, favorite animal is a dog-" Taylor's rant was interrupted by Sharpay slamming her hand on the table.

"Whatever Tay. Any baboon can give stats. What I'm asking is what do you know about him that no one else does?" Taylor stared at her friend before sliding on the floor.

"Here I am always bragging about how high my IQ is, yet I'm too blind to see that the guy I like is so out of my league. God I'm such an idiot." Sharpay walked over and slid down next to her.

"You're not stupid. You're just naïve."

"Besides," Gabriella said while sitting on her other side. "Considering the fact that you two spent the whole summer together pretty much proves he's not out of your league." Taylor smiled at her two best friends.

"So what do I do now?" She asked.

"As usual, I'm sure the one and only great Sharpay Evans has a plan." Gabriella said while smirking at her blonde friend, whose smirk mirrored her own.

"And as usual, the ever brilliant Gabriella Montez is correct. And here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna find him, and order him to meet you so that you two can work this out."

"I'm supposed to be meeting him during lunch." Sharpay gasped.

"Why the hell weren't we told sooner?" Taylor shrugged and opened her mouth to speak. "Don't talk. Rhetorical question. We have got to get back to the dorm. Now." She said while yanking Gabriella and Taylor off the floor and heading towards the door."

"Why?" Gabriella asked while trying to keep up.

"Because our Tay-Tay has a date to get ready for and as her closest friends, it's our duty to prepare her. Whether she likes it or not."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Oh my god!" Troy exclaimed.

"I know." Chad responded leaning back against the wall.

"How is it you did not know she was underage? You spent her birthday with her!"

"It's not like she came out and told me it was her birthday, okay? I overheard her on the phone." Troy crossed his arms.

"Well, how old is she now?" Chad didn't respond. "You don't know? You moron!"

"Yeah. You insulting me isn't helping at all."

"Wait. This is the girl you saved on the street that day, right?" Troy asked. Chad nodded. "And it's the same girl from the club, too?" Chad nodded once again. Troy glared at his friend before punching him the arm.

"What?" Chad asked rubbing his arm.

"You idiot! I frenched her friend! And who knows how many times Zeke violated that blonde! Now all three of us are predators. Thanks a lot!" Chad stared at Troy.

"Lets review shall we? You kissed her for about an hour. Zeke spent the night with a girl. I SPENT THE MAJORITY OF THE SUMMER WITH HER! Now logically which one is worse?" Chad asked. Just then the door opened.

"What?" Both Troy and Chad yelled while turning their heads towards the door. The student clearly jumped with fright.

"The class was just wondering if you were coming back in the room soon and also you and Mr. Troy are yelling very loudly." Chad sighed.

"Just give me a minute." The girl nodded and closed the door. Troy broke the silence of the deserted hall.

So what are you gonna do?"

"I'm meeting her for lunch to decide." Chad responded. Troy nodded and began to head back into the class but was stopped by Chad.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm screwed, aren't I?"

"Oh yeah."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"What's wrong now, Gabi?" Sharpay said while filing her nails on her bed. Gabriella gasped at her friend.

"We skipped third period! And fourth! To come here! To put on make-up! Do you see the problem yet?" Sharpay pretended to look like she was thinking.

"No. Not really."

"Well I do. And I feel entirely guilty. And Taylor does as well. Right Tay?" She shouted the last part to make sure her friend could hear her in the bathroom.

"Whatever you said." Was the response she got back.

"We are gonna get in so much trouble for this." Gabriella muttered under her breath while sitting down at the vanity.

"Don't say it Shar." Taylor said while emerging from the bathroom. She was in blue mini skirt, a red spaghetti-strap top, and red and white sneakers. "Put that mouth of yours to better use and tell me how I look." Gabriella squinted at her outfit.

"Isn't that the same thing you wore when you almost got hit by that car this summer?" Taylor nodded as she put on her earrings.

"Which was when I met Chad. Hopefully it will bring up pleasant thoughts. I wanna make a good first impression."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a little late for that?" Sharpay asked while staring at her friend. "Though it does look good on you."

"Good and wrong. You're supposed to stay in complete uniform until all classes are over. Campus rule. You also can't go off Campus or both of you two are screwed."

"I hate to admit it, but miss goody-two-shoes is right. Looks like you're wearing your uniform. Nice try though." Taylor groaned before heading back in the bathroom to change. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"He's early!" Taylor said. Sharpay jumped up.

"Gabi and I will stall. Go change." Taylor nodded before closing the door. Sharpay and Gabriella walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a very surprised Chad.

"I think I've got the wrong room-"

"No. It's right." Sharpay interrupted him. "Taylor's in the bathroom."

"We're supposed to stall." Gabriella blurted without thinking, earning her a slap on the arm from Sharpay.

"What my silly little friend here means is that we're supposed to make sure that you don't mysteriously vanish." Chad slowly nodded.

"You two look familiar. Sharpay and Bree?" He asked with a smirk. Sharpay grinned while Gabriella turned red.

"Zeke's told you about me?"

"Yes he has. I don't think he's aware that you are under 18, however." Sharpay held u a hand to stop him.

"I am exactly 18 thank you very much. Completely legal to do whatever I please." She responded while crossing her arms. Chad turned his gaze to Gabriella.

"You legal as well?"

"Yes." Sharpay responded before Gabriella could. "She is." Chad arched an eyebrow.

"And how old is Taylor?" Sharpay arched an eyebrow in return.

"Shouldn't you know?" Before he could respond, Taylor emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey Chad." She said breathless. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." He turned to leave, Taylor right behind him. He stopped and sun back around. "Oh, and both of you two have a detention tomorrow for skipping my third period. And I'll be certain to tell Troy and Zeke that I saw you." With that he took hold of Taylor's arm and led her out of the dorm and outside. Gabriella turned and hit Sharpay.

"Told you we'd get in trouble!"


	8. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

11/12/2007 10:34:00

**_Here ya go!!!_**

After leaving the dorm, Taylor and Chad began to walk around campus in silence. They had reached the edge of the school grounds which were surrounded by trees and few students before Chad said a word. Both out of fear they would be overheard by the other students walking the grounds, and of not knowing exactly how to approach the situation. They tried not to focus on the strange looks they were receiving. Word had spread fast and almost everyone on campus knew about the hot new teacher. And everyone also knew that Taylor was the smartest and assumed she was showing him around. That was their cover story.

"So. How old are you?" He asked Taylor. Taylor looked up from the grass to meet his eyes.

"You first."

"25. And you." Taylor's heart sank when she heard exactly how much older than her he was. She shook her head.

"I can't tell you. You'll hate the answer." Chad stopped walking and crossed his arms. Taylor stopped as well.

"Fine. Were you underage when I saved your life?" Taylor slowly nodded. "So you were underage at the club?" Taylor nodded again. "Did you turn 18 on your birthday?" Taylor shook her head and Chad's heart stopped. Now he truly was screwed. "How much under 18 are you exactly?" Taylor, who still refused to speak, held up one manicured finger. "One year away? So you're 17?" Chad asked. Taylor nodded again and sat down on the grass, wrapping her arm around her knees and burying her head in them. Chad sat down as well facing her, his back to the trees. "Well, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because," Taylor said without lifting her head so he wouldn't notice her tears. "You didn't exactly tell me you were 25!" Chad glared at the way she had turned it on her.

"I live on my own! You've been to my house numerous times! That should have been a dead giveaway that I was over 18!" Taylor shook her head.

"Not true! I have friends who live on their own who are under 18!" Chad arched an eyebrow.

"Who live in a mansion?" Taylor ignored the question.

"Besides, you are acting like I lied to you about my age or something! You never asked!"

"I didn't think I had to!" Chad responded. The two were silent as they both tried to sort through their thoughts. Taylor, head still in her knees, was first to speak.

"So what happens now?" She asked. Chad picked at the grass around him and sighed.

"Taylor, look at me." Taylor didn't move. "Taylor look at me, please?" He tried again. This time, Taylor lifted her head and he saw that she was crying. Taylor wiped her arms with her sleeve.

"Look Chad. If you wanna break up with me, I'll understand. I can ask the dean to switch me into a different chem class. I'll tell him that Sasha's bothering me and that if I stay the whole year, we'll kill each other. He likes me, so he'll probably let me. And we can act like this whole situation never happened." Taylor said as she finally lifted her head to look at Chad. Chad sighed. He could tell by her eyes that that was the absolute last thing she wanted to do, but that her brain was controlling her actions at the moment. If he was being honest, he didn't want to stop dating her either. She made him think and feel things he hadn't ever felt before.

"Taylor, you don't mean that. I know you don't, because I don't wanna stop seeing you either. So here's what I suggest. We take the rest of the week to decide what to do, and on Saturday's welcome back dance, we tell each other. Meet me here at eleven. Deal?" He asked her. Taylor thought it over before nodding and getting up.

"Since we're through here, I guess I'll go back to my dorm." Chad nodded and got up as well.

"I'll walk you." Taylor shook her head.

"In order to make this decision as effective and completely impartial as possible, I think it's best if we stop communicating with each other unless it has to do with class. No e-mails, no texting, no phone calls, none whatsoever. Till Saturday." Chad grimily nodded in agreement.

"Till Saturday then. Goodbye Taylor."

"Goodbye Chad." She replied. Chad looked at the ground and seemed to be going through some sort of turmoil within himself. Finally, it seems that he resolved it and stepped towards Taylor. With a second's hesitation, he kissed her on the forehead before turning to walk away. After he was a good distance away, Taylor let out an audible sigh, and glared at the trees in front of her. "You two can come out now. I know you are there." Within a few seconds, two figures moved from behind two trees and walked towards her. Sharpay and Gabriella kept walking till they were only two feet away from Taylor. Gabriella and Sharpay both looked ashamed, though Taylor was sure Gabriella was ashamed at what they had been doing, and Shar was only ashamed that they had gotten caught.

"Look at it this way." Sharpay started before Taylor could say a word. "Now, you don't have to worry about catching us up cause we heard the whole thing." Gabriella hit Sharpay on the arm.

"Slick." Taylor cracked a smile. She wasn't really mad, just exhausted at exactly how much the conversation had taken out of her. Gabriella walked over and put her arm on her shoulder. "You okay?" Taylor shook her head.

"Yes. No. Maybe so." Sharpay appeared at her other shoulder.

"I think we should discuss this over with our two favorite people." Both Gabriella and Taylor stared at her.

"And they would be?" Taylor asked as the three began walking. Sharpay grinned.

"Why Ben and Jerry, of course!"

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"Chad, you live like thirty minutes away. Why did they give you a room on campus?" Troy asked. Chad, who wasn't really listening, just shrugged and continued his sit-ups. It was the end of the day and the two were back at Chad's house in his living room. Zeke and Jason were also there, but were in the backyard messing with the grill. Chad was on the ground and Troy was lying on the sofa next to him, going through the text messages in his phone. "So you never told me how your little lunch with Taylor went. You got another lunch date with her tomorrow?" Once again, Chad didn't respond with words, but with the slight movement of his shoulders. Troy rolled his eyes. He was sick of beating around the bush. "Look are you gonna tell me what happened that was so wrong or not?" Chad finally stopped and turned to look at Troy as if he was seeing him for the first time all day.

"What makes you think something went wrong?"

"Because you passed a hundred and fifty twenty minutes ago. You never go pass that in one sitting unless there's something wrong. So are you gonna tell me or not?" Chad sighed and got up before walking towards the kitchen. After grabbing a red bull out of the fridge, he looked at Troy.

"You really wanna know what happened?" Troy nodded enthusiastically. "Fine, I'll tell you. She's underage, I still like her, I've got till Saturday to decide exactly what I'm doing, When the NBA finds out they're gonna rip up my contract, and I'm going to do five to ten. Happy now?" Jason and Zeke took that moment to walk in.

"Why is Chad going to jail?" Zeke asked a plate of ribs in his hand.

"And more importantly, are we gonna have to lie for him?" Jason asked taking a seat at the table. Troy grinned.

"Why don't you ask the cradle robber himself?" He said clearly enjoying his friend's dilemma. Chad cracked a grin of his own.

"Oh no. If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me. Guess what perky little brunette is in my third period chemistry? Gabriella Montez. You, Troy, know her as Bree." Troy instantly paled and stopped smiling. "And just like Taylor, she's got a full year before she turns eighteen." Troy's legs officially couldn't hold his weight any more and he collapsed in the chair next to Jason. Zeke was laughing along with Jason before she realized something.

"Wait. You don't have a Sharpay in one of your classes, do you?" Chad nodded.

"But chill." He said when Zeke stiffened. "She's actually legal." Zeke grinned in relief. Jason leaned back in his chair.

"You see, this is why you always check and don't tell them your real name. The girl I met was Amber, twenty-two, a pre-law student, and on vacation here before heading back to California." Jason grinned, obviously proud f himself. Chad took a sip and arched an eyebrow.

"And how do you know she wasn't lying?" Jason shrugged.

"I don't. But at least I don't keep running into her everywhere like you seem to." Zeke nodded in agreement as he took four plates out of the cabinet and passed out the ribs.

"He's got a point."

"I don't know what to do." Chad groaned. Troy shrugged and walked back to the living room, his plate in hand.

"Dude, you have a mansion, five cars, and all the money you could ever want, without having to work for it. And you got drafted for the NBA. What more could you want?" Troy said while ruffling his hair and flipping on the flat screen TV. "My advice? Forget about her and move on. At least till she's of age." Zeke, Jason, and Chad all followed suit and sat down in chairs. Chad shrugged.

"I want Taylor."

_**TPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTPTP**_

"In my mind, Ben and Jerry are the actually geniuses. So Einstein can solve a few math problems. But can he fix a broken heart or at least soften the blow? No. Ben and Jerry can. That is true brains. No offense Gabriella." Sharpay said as she finished her second cup of ice cream. Gabriella shook her head.

"None taken. In fact at the moment, I actually agree with you." She said as she opened her third carton. Taylor giggled before standing up from her bed and stretching.

"I don't think I can eat anymore. I'm stuffed and certain that by morning, I'm gonna need a new uniform in a bigger size." It was after classes and the girls had all changed into jeans and comfortable Tees. "I'm going for a walk to burn off some of this ice cream. Ya'll coming?" She asked. Gabriella and Sharpay both shared a look before putting their cups back in the mini fridge and getting up as well. The three walked till they reached the baseball field and sat on the bleachers. Well, Gabriella and Taylor sat. Sharpay saw someone she knew, and had rushed off to start a conversation.

"So what's the latest chapter in the love story that is Taylor Mckessie's life?" Taylor sighed. She knew that they would have to come back to the situation sooner than later.

"I wish you could write it so you could tell me. What would you do in my position?" Gabriella thought for a minute before responding.

"This is one of those situations where you can't answer that question unless it's something you've been through. But if I had to, I'd listen to my heart. What is your heart telling you?"

"To be with him. But there's this little L word that keeps getting in the way." Gabriella's eyebrows rose.

"Love?" Taylor grinned and shook her head.

"No. Law. As in that thing that says due to the fact that he's both my teacher and that I'm underage, I can't be with him no matter how much I want to."

"Taylor, you keep saying you want him. Now the question is, do you want him bad enough to risk ruining his life if you two get caught. Cause he's the one in trouble if you do. Not you, him. They'll say you were seduced and didn't know what was going on and completely unaware of the situation. And then they'll send you to some therapist of rape victims for the next four years while he's on trial. And don't say I'm being harsh, cause you know that's exactly what's gonna happen." Gabriella said as they sat on the baseball bleachers. Taylor sighed in defeat.

"At least I have a whole week to decide."

"And to find a new dress. Don't forget about that." Sharpay added as she sat down behind them. Taylor turned to stare at her blonde friend who shrugged. "What? If you agree to date him you wanna look hot. And if you decide not to, you still wanna look hot for all the guys your age." Taylor giggled at her outlook on life.

"Like that guy you were talking to?" Sharpay scoffed.

"Girl, please. He's a junior. And this summer I made a promise to myself. No more younger guys. Must be same age or older. Zeke for example. Which reminds me. Taylor, if you are gonna stop seeing Chad, before you do it, will you get me his friend's number?" Taylor and Gabriella gawked openly at her. "What?"

**_Will Taylor and Chad be together? _**

**_Will thier secret be found out?_**

**_Will Sharpay get Zeke's number? _**

**_Find out in the next chapter of Teacher's Pet!_**


	9. AN To all Stories

Dear loyal fanfiction readers,

I know it's been forever since I've updated, and just when I was about to, my laptop computer crashed and because I'm a moron, I didn't back anything up so all my work is gone. I just got it back and it's working again, but it will be awhile before I write anything. All my stuff for school was on it and so I have to focus on that. But as soon as I'm caught up (or because I'll procrastinate doing my work and will write instead) I'll update my stories. I know how irritating it must be, cause I'm taking forever. But thank you so much for sticking with my stories and all my personal problems.

Can't wait to get back to writing and to read your reviews,

_HP4EverLuver_

_Peace, Luv, and Hairgrease!_


	10. Dresses, Tutoring, and Sebastion

_**Hello Loves!!! I'm back!!! I hope you are all doing well and if you are getting it that you are enjoying your snow!! Without any further stallation, i present Teacher's Pet, Chapter Nine:**_

**_Dresses, Tutoring, and Sebastion_**

"So what does your dress look like Martha?" Gabriella asked one day. She, Taylor, Sharpay, Kelsi and Martha were sitting in the dorm's lounge. Gabriella was on the floor with Taylor behind her, braiding her hair. Kelsi was lying upside down on one of the couches with Martha besides. Sharpay was occupying one of the many bean bags strew around the room. Martha smiled as she thought about it.

"It's a sleeveless yellow dress, that's long in the back and short in the front. What about yours?" Gabriella shrugged.

"You remember my dress from last year?" Martha nodded.

"The pretty green one?"

"It's the same one expect it's purple."

"What about you Kelsi? Have you gotten your dress yet?" Kelsi shrugged and adjusted her glasses.

"It's green and stops at the knee. Not too formal, not too casual. Nothing special." Sharpay who had been sitting silently in a bean bag chair groaned.

"Kelsi, that is so like you to buy something ordinary. From now on, I'm buying your clothes. You are no longer allowed to go shopping alone." Kelsi giggled and stared at the blonde from her position on the sofa.

"Well there's just one small problem. You live here in New Mexico and I live in New Jersey. Are you really gonna fly 4,000 miles just to go shopping with me?"

"Kelsi, you of all people should know the saying." Taylor interjected. "Where there's a will, there's a Sharpay."

"She's also wherever her father's credit card is, don't forget about that." Gabriella nodded. The group nodded in agreement and laughed as Sharpay's cheeks turned pink.

"What color is your dress?" Martha asked when they had calmed down from their fit.

"Did you really have to ask?" Sharpay said while arching an eyebrow. "It's the same color it is every year. Pink." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But it's a halter top style with green designs on it." Kelsi flipped over and sat up right on the sofa before looking at Taylor.

"What about you Tay? What masterpiece will you be wearing on Saturday?" Sharpay and Gabriella rolled their eyes and groaned.

"Why'd you ask that?" Sharpay said while running a hand through her hair. Kelsi and Martha looked at each other confused.

"What?" Kelsi asked.

"Taylor refuses to tell anyone what her dress looks like. She got it in the mail from her mother last night and she won't let anyone see it." Gabriella clarified.

"Which isn't exactly fair if you ask me." Sharpay said. Taylor grinned and rolled her eyes.

"It's a surprise for someone and I don't want it getting around school and back to him." Martha and Kelsi, having no knowledge of the secret affair happening right in front of their eyes, grinned.

"Ooh. Who is he?" Martha asked.

"What grade is he in?" Kelsi added.

"How long have you known him?"

"How long have you liked him?"

"Does he go to this school?"

"Do we know him?" Taylor held up her hands to stop his rambling.

"Whoa. One, I'm not telling you his name or his grade so you two can go stalk and harass him. I met him this summer and have liked him since we met, yes he comes here, and yes you know him." Taylor said answering their questions, while giving as little information as possible.

"Are you gonna tell us anything else?" Kelsi asked, hoping she'd give. Taylor shook her head.

"Nope." Her friends sighed. Taylor smiled and glanced at her watch before jumping up.

"Where are you going?" Gabriella asked as she touched her hair. "Are you done?"

"Yes I finished. And if you want to be nosy, I'm going to a tutoring session." She said while picking up her backpack that was next to the table.

"You're being tutored?" Martha asked. Taylor shook her head.

"Martha, when have I ever been tutored? I'm tutoring some 9th graders in Algebra." Kelsi, who had been writing in a notebook, looked at her.

"Who?" Taylor looked at a piece of paper in her folder and read it.

"Today, two boys named Donnie and Jimmie." Kelsi's face lit up.

"Donnie Dion and Jimmie Zara?" Taylor nodded slowly.

"How do you know them?"

"I used to live across the street from Donnie and Jimmie was always over his house. But I moved two years ago and haven't seen them since. Can I come?" Taylor shrugged.

"Sure. Four brains are better than three. And according to their scores from last year, they need all the help they can get." Kelsi grinned.

"Yes! I just need to get my jacket."

"Okay, I'm already a little late, so go get your jacket and meet us in the library." Kelsi nodded and headed towards her dorm.

"Well, I'll see you later." Taylor said as she headed towards the door. Sharpay nodded.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She said. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said as she walked out the door. A few minutes later Sharpay looked at Gabriella and Martha.

"So, who else is interested in seeing Ms. McKessie's mysterious dress?"

_

* * *

_

_I'm late, I'm late, I'm late._ Taylor thought as she rushed down the hall. She wasn't used to being late for anything. She watched her feet to make sure that she didn't trip due to her three inch heels.

_

* * *

_

Chad was walking down the hall, grading papers as he headed to his classroom. He contemplated whether or not the essay he had gotten was worth an F or an F minus. As he stared at the page, willing for the answers to change, he turned a sharp corner.

_

* * *

_

_BAM! _Taylor and Chad slammed into each other. Taylor dropped her backpack and Chad's papers flew everywhere. Taylor gasped as she began to fall and reached out and grabbed his shirt. Chad in turn wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her. When Taylor was no longer falling, she looked up to see who had caught her and gasped.

"Hi Chad." She said. Chad, who had also just noticed who he had caught, smiled weakly.

"Ms. McKessie. Where were you off to?"

"Tu-tu-tutoring. Ni-ninth graders. Algebra." She stuttered. Chad nodded. "Chad?"

"Yes?"

"Please let me go." Chad looked down to see that he was still holding her by the waist. He jumped away.

"Right. Right. Well, here." He said as he bent down and picked up her backpack. She took it gratefully. She then bent down to help him pick up his papers as well. When the floor was clear, they both stood up and stared.

"I guess I'll see you in class then, Chad?" Chad nodded.

"Class, right. Ms. McKessie, were you planning on attending the dance this upcoming weekend?"

"That was the plan. Were you?" Taylor asked back shyly.

"To chaperone of course. Do you have a date?" He asked crossing his arms. Taylor shook her head.

"Not yet." Chad rocked back and forth on his toes.

"Were you planning on meeting anyone there in particular?" Taylor bit her lip.

"Still undecided." Chad nodded.

"Well, I guess you should get going. To your tutoring and all." Taylor nodded.

"Yeah. I guess I should." The two stared at each other for a few seconds more. Taylor was the first to break eye contact as she stared at the floor and started for the library again. Chad himself stared at her retreating figure, before looking down at the papers in his hands. The name on the paper on top was Taylor. Chad rolled his eyes and continued to walk towards his office.

_

* * *

_

"Sharpay we shouldn't be doing this." Gabriella said as she slowly stepped into the room. Sharpay who was ahead of her turned around and stared at her.

"Gabs, why are you acting like we are breaking and entering? This is our dorm room. We live here." Sharpay said slowly. Martha, who was behind Gabriella walked fully into the room and sat down on one of the beds.

"She has a point you know. It's not like we're doing anything wrong." Gabriella crossed her arms.

"Except we aren't supposed to see it yet. It's called a surprise for a reason." Sharpay rolled her eyes as she went over to Taylor's closet.

"You know I hate surprises. Remember my twelfth birthday party?" Gabriella snickered as she remembered.

"Oh yeah. That was funny." Martha, who hadn't known them, furrowed her eyebrows.

"What happened?"

"Her parents threw her a surprise party and she started crying when she walked through the front door."

"Yes, my preteen humiliation is very funny. Now are you two gonna help me find this dress or not?" Martha and Gabriella looked at each other.

"Not."

"But when you find it, let us know." Martha added as she reached over the bed and picked up a magazine.

"Well then come over here because I think I found it!" Both girls jumped up and ran to where Sharpay was in front of the closet. They gasped when they saw the dress. It was something Taylor would wear. It was an off the shoulder crème color dress with a light brown belt. It had a sort of renaissance feel to it. It was perfect for Taylor.** (A/N Pictures of all the girls dresses are on my profile)**

"I love it. I love it. I love it!" Sharpay said as she jumped up and down. Gabriella touched it gently.

"It's so pretty." She whispered.

"Amazing!" Martha agreed.

"I think I see why she was hiding it. Whoever this guy is that she's so crazy about is one lucky bastard." Sharpay said while zipping the dress back up in its bag. Gabriella and Martha nodded in agreement. The three began to walk back to the lounge.

"Who do you guys think he is? The guy that Taylor's so head over Air Jordan's for?" Martha asked. Sharpay and Gabriella shared a look that they thought was slick. Unfortunately for them, Martha noticed.

"You two know, don't you?"

"No!" They answered at the same time.

"You do! Tell me please! Please, please, please!" She begged while jumping up and down. Sharpay and Gabriella quickly pulled her back into their room and sat her down on one of the beds. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because we've been sworn to secrecy."

"I can keep a secret! I can! I swear! I promise!" Martha pleaded. Sharpay pulled Gabriella over to a corner of the room and spoke in whispered tones.

"We can't tell her." Gabriella said. Sharpay didn't answer. "We cannot tell her." Gabriella repeated.

"She's trustworthy!"

"I don't care! We are not telling her Shar, and that's final!" Sharpay sighed and crossed her arms.

"Fine. We won't tell her." Gabriella sighed in relief and the two walked back over to where Martha was still seated.

"Martha," Gabriella started. "I'm sorry, but-"

"We'll tell you who she likes." Sharpay interrupted. Martha's eyes brightened instantly.

"You will?"

"WE WILL?"

"Yeah, she likes-"

"Shar you finish that sentence and I swear I'll kill you. I swear-"

"Sebastian Applegate."

"I'll shove my shoe so far up your- wait what?" Martha jumped up from the bed.

"She likes Seb? Really?" Sharpay nodded as Gabriella looked on in shock.

"Yep. But you can't tell anyone. That includes Kelsi." Martha nodded.

"Of course. I won't. I swear. Well, I gotta be going. Homework and stuff." She said as she turned to leave, but stopped. "Thanks for telling me guys. And I won't tell. Promise!" With that being said and one last wave, she skipped out the door and down the hall to her room. When the door slammed shut behind her, Gabriella turned on Sharpay.

"Why did you do that?" She asked. Sharpay shrugged.

"Because if we didn't give her a name she was gonna keep asking. So, I lied." She said as she walked over to her bed and lied down on it.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

"Would you rather I tell her the truth?" Sharpay asked as she arched an eyebrow. Gabriella quickly shook her head.

"Of course not."

"So nobody gets hurt. What's the big deal, Gabs?"

"Martha thinks Taylor likes Sebastian! And she's gonna tell everyone!"

"Well, it's perfect! Martha tells everyone Taylor likes Seb, and no one suspects she's dating Chad!" Gabriella shook her head.

"Did you ever consider that fact that Martha will most likely tell Sebastian?" Sharpay grinned.

"That's what I planned on." Gabriella let out a breath and went to sit on her bed.

"Would you please explain how this all makes sense in that twisted mind of yours? Because trying to figure it out gives me a headache." Sharpay turned her back and walked over to the computer and turned it on.

"Do you remember at the end of last year, when I kept sneaking out after curfew to meet a guy?" Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, so? You do that all the time." As the computer loaded, Sharpay turned to face Gabriella.

"Yeah, but the week before the last week of school I kept sneaking out to talk to Sebastian. He revealed a deep and dark secret to me the week before, and I spent that week trying to help him come to terms with who he was."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, let's just say that Albuquerque Academy's track star and heartthrob has a few secrets in his closet. One of them being his trapped in it." Gabriella's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Sebastian's gay?" Sharpay nodded.

"As much as you and I are straight. He told me that he wasn't sure and he asked if I would sleep with him to help him decide whether he was straight, gay, or just a little bi-curious. So I slept with him. He's gay. Which makes him the perfect cover. He won't grow an emotional attachment to Taylor, Taylor won't be attracted to him, and since no one else but the two of us, well four when we tell Taylor and Seb, everyone else on this campus will think it's legit. And Chad won't have to get jealous." By this time the computer had turned on and Sharpay turned back around to face the screen. She logged on to her AIM account and began to search through her friend list.

"What makes you think Seb will go along with this?" Gabriella said while walking over to stand behind Sharpay.

"Because he's a friend of Taylor's and I'm sure if we explain the situation, he'd be more than happy to help. Plus if he refuses, we can always use his sexuality against him." Gabriella looked down at Sharpay.

"I'm sorry. We?" Sharpay rolled her eyes and looked up at her friend.

"Yes, we. Including you. Now get over it." Just then a ping sounded as Sharpay received an IM. "Oooh! It's from Seb! This is just too perfect! It's as if God himself wants this to happen." Sharpay quickly typed away at the keyboard and explained everything to Sebastian. When she was done, he agreed to it and said that he'd come by the lounge later to lay down everything with Taylor. Sharpay logged off before lying back in the chair.

"See? He likes the plan, and everything is going perfectly."

"Which means that something has to go wrong. It's the way the universe works."

"Montez, must you be so negative? For the first time in your life, sit down, lay back, and just let nature do its work."

* * *

"I still don't understand." Taylor and Kelsi both sighed in exhaustion. They had been sitting in the library for the past hour trying to get both Jimmie and Donnie to understand what was happening in their class. As soon as one of them would understand, he'd try to explain it to the other only to find out he had it all backwards and Taylor and Kelsi had to start all over again.

"Well, it's getting late, and we're not getting anywhere. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the two of you aren't passing algebra in one either." Kelsi said as she ruffled Jimmie's unruly hair. Taylor stood up and stretched.

"How about we continue this tomorrow? Right after classes end?" Jimmie and Donnie both nodded and stood up with their stuff. Kelsi followed as well.

"Um, Taylor? Can I talk to you? In private?" Taylor turned to see Jimmie standing awkwardly by his chair, his algebra textbook nearly falling out of his hand. She sent Kelsi a look.

"Come on, Donnie. I'll walk you to your dorm." Kelsi said as she slung an arm over his shoulder. Taylor sent her a grateful look and Kelsi sent her an understanding one in return. When both Kelsi and Donnie were out of earshot, Jimmie took his seat once more.

"So what's the problem?" Taylor asked looking at the freshman with concern. Jimmie sighed and twisted his hat in his hands.

"The boy you see sitting before you is only a shell of the boy I once was. And I'm afraid that I shall never be the same." Taylor arched an eyebrow and sat down.

"And what exactly happened that made your life so tragic?" Jimmie sighed and looked at Taylor before staring into the distance.

"I saw an angel. The most beautiful angel in all of heaven. The others fall to their knees in envy. She's perfect. Gorgeous blonde hair, ivory skin like fresh falling snow, and a smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts. How god himself has yet to come down and retrieve her to return her to her rightful place among the clouds I don't know. She is truly a goddess among men. And she will never have me." Taylor stared with her mouth open and placed a hand over her heart.

"Jimmie. That was…that was beautiful. Who is she?" Jimmie smiled dazed.

"My goddess is the one and only Sharpay Anneliese Evans." Taylor stared at him in shock.

"Sharpay? Sharpay Evans? My roommate Sharpay Evans?" Jimmie sighed and smiled.

"The one and the same."

"How do you know her middle name?" Taylor asked suspiciously. Jimmie looked around before answering.

"That's not very important. So, Taylor, can you help me? I don't know, maybe put in a good word for me?" Taylor sat back and shook her head.

"I don't know, Jimmie. Sharpay has this new thing about dating younger than her. She won't date someone two days younger. And you're a good four years." Jimmie rolled his eyes.

"Which is why I need you Taylor! Please help me! You're one of her best friends! If you boost me up, she's bound to fall for me! Please, Taylor! Please! Please! Please! I'm begging! I'll do whatever you want! I'll be your slave till you graduate. I'll clean your dorm, do your laundry, anything! I'll get Donnie to help me so it will all be done twice as fast!" By this point, Jimmie was on the ground on his knees in front of Taylor, his hands clasped as if in prayer, and he was staring up at Taylor with his best puppy dog pout. Taylor couldn't suppress the giggle that was threatening to escape.

"Whoa. You're like a rocket, man. Once you start going, you're sky high."

"Rocketman? Hey, can I use that?" **(A/N I felt it was important to include the nickname) **Taylor nodded.

"It's yours." Jimmie grinned and stood up.

"Sweet." He then leaned over Taylor, placing his arms on the arm rests of the library chair she was sitting in. "So what do you say? Are you gonna help me out or not?" Taylor sat back in the chair and closed her eyes. Her instinct was telling her to say no and tell the poor boy he didn't have a chance in hell. But when she opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her staring, with nothing put hope and excitement in his eyes, she had no choice but to give in.

"Fine. I'll talk to Shar and see what I can do." Jimmie's face lit up with complete gratitude and opened his mouth to thank Taylor when she stopped him. "I said I'd talk to her. That does not mean she is going to go out with you. I'm warning you now, she will most likely say no." She said while moving Jimmie's arms away from the chair so she could stand up. Jimmie shrugged.

"I don't care. Thank you, so much Taylor! You are the most amazing friend anyone could ask for. Wait till I tell Donnie that I've got a date with a senior!" Taylor's eyes widened.

"Weren't you just listening to what I said? Sharpay-"

"Will probably say no, yeah whatever. But I have to warn you Taylor. I'm a firm believer in fate and whether she likes it or not, she's meant to be with me. I can feel it, Taylor. Trust me." With that he hugged her quickly and headed towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow Tay. Rocketman, out!" With that he sprinted down the hall and Taylor shook her head.

"Have fun telling Sharpay about her new stalker." A voice whispered in Taylor's ear. She quickly turned around and sighed in relief when she recognized the face.

"Hey, Sebastian." **(A/N Seb's on my profile as well)** Sebastian flashed her one of his heart stopping grins. At six foot two, Sebastian Applegate was quite the boy. His bright blue eyes, dark brown hair, slight stubble, and killer smile had more than a few girls swooning. Taylor herself had caught herself staring and wondering what it would be like to run her hands through the hair that looked as soft as silk. "How are you?" She asked. Sebastian shrugged.

"Glad to be back at school, but not so happy to be going _to _school if ya know what I mean." Taylor nodded. Sebastian ran a hand through his hair and crossed his arms.

"So, what do you think of Sharpay's plan?" Taylor arched an eyebrow.

"What plan?" Sebastian arched an eyebrow as well.

"The one about us dating?" Taylor nearly dropped the textbook she had been holding on her foot. But luckily for her, Sebastian caught it before it made impact. He then proceeded to pick up her backpack from on the floor, place the book in it, and then slung it over his shoulder.

"Sharpay didn't tell you?" He asked curiously. Taylor shook her head. Sebastian sighed and held out his hand to her.

"Come on. I'll walk you to your dorm and explain on the way."Taylor looked at his hand suspiciously.

"Take it. I won't bite. Unless you ask me to." Sebastian said while smirking deviously. Taylor rolled her eyes and giggled before slowly slipping her hand in his. And as they walked out, she had to admit she didn't mind it there.

* * *

"And that is why the two of us are now officially a couple." Sebastian finished the plan just as he and Taylor stopped outside of the entrance to the girls' lounge. Taylor was stunned.

"Wow. You're gay." She said simply. Sebastian chuckled.

"I love how out of everything, that was the only part you heard." Taylor rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the grin that snuck its way on her face.

"I heard everything you said, it's just you're the last person I'd expect to be in the closet." Sebastian's expression suddenly went from playful to serious.

"I know. Which is why I need the two of us to be on the same page in order for the two of us to work and to be believable. Tay, I've known you for a while now and I know you can keep a secret, so I'm begging that you please keep mine." Taylor nodded in understanding.

"Of course, Seb. I wouldn't tell anyone. And the fact that Sharpay kept it this long is really something." Seb smiled slightly.

"So enough about me. Who's the guy that you need me for?" Taylor arched an eyebrow.

"Shar didn't tell you?" Seb shook his head.

"She told me to ask you."

"It's Chad…the new chemistry professor." Taylor said while looking down at her shoes. When she looked up she saw Seb nodding.

"He's cute. Nice choice. I approve."

"Thanks. So are we gonna do this?" Seb shrugged.

"I don't know. It's your call. So what do you say? Wanna be my girl?" Taylor laughed at his line before batting her eyelashes and doing her best southern bell impression.

"Why, Sebastian! How on earth is a girl supposed to say no to that?" Sebastian grinned before picking her up and spinning her around. When he finally set her back on the ground, his arms were around her waist and hers were nestled around his neck. He placed his head in the crook of her neck.

"Don't look now, but it appears that we've earned an audience." Taylor, without turning her head, looked to her right to see that through the window, Martha, Kelsi, Sharpay, Gabriella, some other girls in the dorm, and Sasha were staring at them.

'_Martha.'_ She thought before smirking.

"Why don't we give them something to talk about then?" Seb smirked back before pulling away only to lower his lips to hers. It was a sweet and soft kiss, to give off the impression of the beginning of a new relationship instead of a partnership. When they pulled away, they smiled at each other. Taylor turned to walk around Seb, but who she saw stopped her in her tracks. Standing just a few feet away was Chad. And according to the expression on his face, unlike her friends behind her, the public display of affection was not something he thought should be cheered.

_**Oh no I didn't!!!**_

_**Wait!**_

_**Yes!**_

_**I DID! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!! **_

_**Anyway, Review!!! **_

_**Please….**_


	11. The Truth Comes Out

Chap. 10

_**Hey guys! I'm updating again! Alright happy reading! And don't forget to review!**_

"Taylor, you can't still be crying over this. I'm sorry, but it's been two days. And if you want us to understand you, you are gonna have to speak in complete sentences. Not this talking through your tears thing that you are doing right now." Sharpay said her annoyance evident in her tone. Taylor, who had been lying face down on her bed, looked up to glare at her friend.

"I said that Chad hates me and it's all your fault!" Sharpay, Taylor, Gabriella and Sebastian were all in the girls' room. Taylor and Sebastian had "officially" become a couple the day before and since then, Taylor had locked herself in her dorm. "If it weren't for your idiotic plan, none of this would be happening Sharpay!" Sharpay scoffed and stood.

"My idiotic plan? Well, I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, my so called _idiotic _plan was the only thing keeping Martha from asking a billion and one questions about who you liked." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Please. Martha's as fickle as they come. She moves on as soon as there is new gossip. If you had just kept your mouth shut, she would have eventually moved on to someone else." Sharpay crossed her arms and shook her head.

"It doesn't matter how short of an attention span Martha has. She has a gossip blog that everyone on campus reads, even the teachers and Dean Warrens. She updates _What a Little Birdie Told Me_ once a week, more depending on what she would have found a better story before then, and yours would've ended up on the back of her radar. And that's exactly what would have happened if you and Mr. Cant-Keep-my-hands-off-my-pretend-girlfriend had not decided to create the lip-lock of the century." Taylor shot up from the bed.

"Wait when does Martha update?" Sharpay shrugged and pulled out a nail file.

"I don't know. Friday?"

"And what day is it?"

"I don't know. Friday?" Sharpay replied. Taylor ran to the computer and pushed the power button.

"Please don't have updated. Please don't have updated." She silently prayed as her computer booted up. She clicked on her web browser and went to her favorites. When the icon of a smiling Martha popped up, she clicked it. Sharpay, Gabriella and Sebastian gathered behind her as they all waited for the page to load. When it did. Taylor groaned at the headline. _Taylor Mckessie's New Boo! _Underneath it, said that the video had been posted about twenty minutes before.

"The update is probably not that bad." Gabriella said as she tried to comfort her friend. Sebastian shrugged.

"Only one way to find out." He dragged the mouse over to the play button on the video link and pushed it. It started to play, and Martha came into view of the camera, and she sat grinning at them.

"Hello Eagles, and welcome to another fabulous update of _What a Little Birdie Told Me!_" Martha's usually cheery voice greeted them through the screen. "Now this is an incredibly short update due to the fact that it only has one story. Usually, I'd just clump it with the other updates, but this is just too juicy to not be on its own! Now everyone on campus is very much aware of who Taylor Mckessie is. Student Council present, captain of the debate team, Student Advisor to the Dean, and at least 16 other activities that I could name but am too lazy to do at the moment. She's the perfect example of B&B: Beasty and Brains. Now unless you were under a rock yesterday, you know that Taylor was crushing hard on a certain boy with the initials S.A. Well, it seems that S.A. was crushing as well!"

"S.A. or Sebastian Applegate, star of the track team, was earlier seen walking towards the library today, with what could only be described as a determined look on his face. He walked out a few minutes later holding not only Taylor's backpack, but her hand as well. He accompanied her back to her dorm where he proceeded to plant one on her for the entire world to see! If that's not official that both are taken then I don't know what is! You should definitely expect to see these two getting cozy at AA's Welcome Back dance on Saturday and my prediction is that they will last well into Winter Break. They have a sort of odd and natural ease between the two of them that is key in making high school romance last. Now, for all you sceptics out there, who think I'm just making this up, click the link in the sidebar for pictures and interviews with witnesses who witnessed the first sentimental kiss of the year, including one from Moi!"

"What do you all think? Will they last till Christmas Va-Kay? Will they break up by the Welcome Back dance? Will they last till Prom? Or will they go all the way and end up walking down the aisle? Leave your comments below and tell me what you think. Well, that's all I've got for now, but tune in tomorrow for more gossip and rumors of Albuquerque Academy. My name is Martha Cox, and that's what a little birdie told me. See ya!"

As the video ended and Martha's smirking face froze on the screen, the four occupying the room froze in shock. Sebastian moved the mouse over to sidebar and clicked the link, causing another page to open. True to her word, over fifteen pictures of Taylor and Sebastian kissing, all from different angles, popped up along with numerous clips of interviews.

"That's it. My life is over." Taylor groaned. "Chad's gonna go to the site, think I was cheating on him, and he's never going to talk to me again." Gabriella frowned.

"You don't know that for sure." Taylor stood up and glared at the brunette.

"What are you talking about? Do you not see the evidence in front of you? Hell, if I didn't know any better I'd think I was cheating on him!"

"But you do know better." Sebastian interjected. "And as soon as you explain it to Chad, he will know better as well." Taylor shook her head.

"I can't. He won't want to see me or talk to me ever again." Sharpay snorted.

"Well he's gonna have to get over that cause you're in his class. And you're his # one student." Taylor shook her head.

"He'd never believe me. He'd think I was just trying to cover it up." The four sat in silence for a while before Sebastian's face lit up with a grin.

"I've got an idea." Taylor furrowed her eyebrows.

"What is it?" she asked, causing Sebastian to shake his head.

"I don't think so. The less you are involved, the better. Just leave it all to me. I am however, going to need to borrow Sharpay's cell phone." Sharpay gasped and backed up against the wall.

"Why?" She asked. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Just give it to me." Sharpay frowned and slowly reached into her pocket, and pulled out the pink bedazzled phone.

"Will I get it back?" Sebastian arched an eyebrow.

"Why would I want a pink rhinestone phone? I'm gay, not a girl. Besides, I have my own cell phone remember? I just have to use yours in order for my plan to work, okay? I'll have one of the younger girls deliver it to you later tonight. Now hand it over." Sharpay looked back and forth between Sebastian and her phone and slowly handed it to the boy in front of her. When it was no longer in her hand, she let out a small squeal and sank to the floor.

"I think a part of me just died." Taylor and Gabriella giggled. Sebastian smirked before picking up his bag from its place next to the door.

"I'll see you guys later. Just…stay away from Chad until you are supposed to be in his class. That's the only way the plan will work, okay?" All three girls nodded in agreement. "Cool. Catch ya later." Gabriella frowned and crossed her arms.

"What do you think he's gonna do?" She asked. Taylor shrugged.

"With Sharpay's phone? It's impossible to tell. But if it doesn't work, we're all screwed."

* * *

'_Daniel Perez. A. Martha Cox. C-. Gabriella Montez. A+. Taylor Mckessie…B.' _Chad sighed and dropped the red pen he was using to grade papers. He'd been thinking and rethinking all that had transpired over the last few days, focusing especially on the event from the day before. He reread the paper in his hand and picked up his pen again. _"She deserved better than that even if she is a lying little slut…Taylor Mckessie…A." _He thought as he changed the grade on the paper. He picked up the next one in the stack and groaned at the name. _'Sebastian Applegate. You've got to be kidding me.'_ Chad grinned and picked up his pen. _"F." _He thought as he wrote the letter at the top of the page. As he was basking in his feelings of glee, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He yelled not taking his eyes of the paper.

"Um…Chad?" Chad looked up at the sound of his name and mentally groaned.

"_Speak of the devil…"_ It was taking all of his self-control not to glare at the boy standing in front of him. He had to remember that he had no idea what he had done wrong. Forcing a smile, Chad stood to his feet and walked around to the front of his desk before sitting on it.

"What can I help you?" Sebastian shrugged.

"I was wondering if you could help me find a book in the library." Chad arched an eyebrow. Sure the library was huge; it was roughly the size of the gym times two floors. But why ask him.

"Shouldn't you been asking a librarian about that?" Sebastian looked around awkwardly.

"I can't." He said quietly. Chad crossed his arms.

"Why?"

"The book I need is in the "Teacher's Only" section." The teacher's only section was a blocked off section of the library all the way in the back of the second floor. It held books that had been deemed inappropriate for the students but they were accessible for the teachers or a student with a note from a teacher.

"Well, why are you asking me for permission and not one of your other teachers?"

"Well, with you being so much closer to our age and you being the coolest out of all of our teachers, I figured you'd be less likely to judge me and be more understanding." Chad smirked and nodded.

"Ahh. Now I understand. It's a sex book." Sebastian's eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink before he nodded.

"Yeah. It is." Chad laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Alright. I met you in the library at around 9 to sign off on the book." Sebastian smiled.

"Thanks Chad. You're the best."

"I know." With that, Sebastian turned around and walked out of the room.

'_Stage one, complete. Now for stage two…'_

_

* * *

_

'_Why the hell are there so many names in this girl's phone? She cannot honestly know this many people…' _Sebastian thought as he scrolled through Sharpay's phone book. He checked his watch. _'8:30. Perfect.'_ He found the name he was looking for and grinned before clicking it and beginning to type a message.

**Hey! It's Shar! Whatcha doing?**

_Hey sis! Nothing. Studying. __What about you? _

**Same here. Hey would you mind meeting me? I really need to talk to you. **

_Sure. Just name a time and place._

**8:45. Restricted Section of the library. Tonite.**

_Restricted Section? Why?_

**Cause I need some place quiet so we can talk and where I know we won't be overhead. Can you make it or not?**

_I'll be there with bells on. _

**I'd rather not draw attention to us, so leave the bells in your dorm, kay? **

_LOL Kay. See you in 15!_

**See ya then! **

Sebastian snapped the phone close and grinned.

'_Stage two, complete. Last and not least, stage three…'_

_

* * *

_

"Come on, come on, come on…" Sebastian muttered under his breath. "It's 8:44. Where is he?" Just then he heard footsteps coming towards him and he gasped. Sebastian quickly ran his hands through his hair, straightened his clothes and checked his breath before casually leaning up against one of the tables. The footsteps got closer and soon enough a head of blonde hair poked around one of the bookshelves.

"Shar?" Ryan called. "Sharpay? Are you here?" Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"No she's not and she won't be joining us either." He said as he stepped forward from the shadows. Ryan turned around, jumping back and gasping from shock. He squinted his eyes as he tried to figure out who he was looking at.

"Seb?" Sebastian nodded and sent a weak grin towards Ryan. Ryan crossed his arms before glaring at the taller boy in front of him. "What are you doing here? Sharpay texted me-"

"And said she had to talk to you?" Sebastian asked. He reached in his pocket and pulled out Sharpay's phone. "I know. It was me. And I do have to talk to you." Sebastian took a step forward, and Ryan took two back, glaring the entire time.

"Why do you have Sharpay's phone?" Ryan asked with enough chill in his voice to make ice.

"Because I knew you wouldn't come if you knew it would be me here instead of her." Ryan rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Oh. So now not only do you not tell me when you want to break up, but you're also a liar? This is just perfect! You know what? I'm leaving." Ryan said turning to leave. Sebastian stepped forward and grabbed his upper arm.

"Will you listen? Don't you think I have a perfectly good reason for what happened yesterday?" Ryan pulled his arm out of Sebastian's grasp and shrugged as he backed up till he was leaning against one of the other tables in the room.

"I don't know. Do you?"

"Of course. I was doing Taylor a favor." Ryan arched an eyebrow.

"A favor? You really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes I do because it's the truth." Ryan threw his hands up in the air.

"How am I supposed to believe you? I mean two days ago you were telling me how you love me and how much I mean to you and then yesterday afternoon I see you kissing Taylor McKessie? How do I know you're not lying to me?" Sebastian was silent for a moment as he thought this over.

"You don't. You're just gonna have to trust me." Ryan sighed and looked around.

"What favor required you to kiss her?"

"You can't tell anyone." Ryan glared at him.

"Duh."

"She's dating a teacher. And no one can know." Ryan was silent as he mulled this over.

"It's Chad." Sebastian widened his eyes.

"What?"

"The teacher Taylor's dating. It's Chad."

"How'd you know?" Ryan smiled.

"Because all the remotely attractive teachers here are either married, in a relationship with another teacher, or just like being single. Chad's the only teacher who no one knows anything about. There was no other option." The two were silent for awhile. "So." Ryan said in a small voice.

"So." Sebastian repeated. Ryan ran his hands up and down his arms.

"So. You're not really dating Taylor?" Ryan asked in a small voice. Sebastian grinned and moved closer till he was less than an arm's length away.

"No. I'm her cover-up." Ryan nodded.

"And…you don't plan on breaking up with me anytime soon?" Sebastian shook his head.

"No. I don't. So do you forgive me?"

"I want to." Ryan said in a small voice. "But if you weren't cheating on me why didn't you just tell me what was going on? Why'd I have to find out with the rest of the school from Martha?"

"I had no time to tell you!" Sebastian rushed to explain. "Sharpay told me her plan and from there I came straight here to the library to explain it to Taylor. I was walking her back to her dorm when we kissed. It was a spur of the moment thing, it wasn't premeditated, and I swear I would have told you or explained it to you sooner, if you had been answering my calls and texts." Ryan looked down guiltily at this.

"Sorry. I was just so mad-"

"Don't explain. I completely understand. And I don't blame you." Ryan gave him a small smile.

"So, you don't want to break up with me?"

"Not unless you wanna break up with me." Ryan's smile got wider and Sebastian took a step forward and opened his arms.

"Forgive me? Please?" Ryan sighed before grinning and stepped forward before quickly stepping back.

"Just to clarify, you don't actually like her? This whole relationship with her is just so no one finds out about Chad, right?" Sebastian nodded.

"No feelings for her whatsoever." Ryan nodded.

"What about other girls?" Sebastian laughed.

"Are you that insecure about our relationship?" Ryan rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Maybe." He muttered.

"Ryan, I don't know what it's gonna take to convince you, but I like you. Only you. I'm not bisexual and you are the only guy I am interested in dating. And you're just gonna have to learn to trust that. Can you do that?" Ryan slowly nodded.

"I think I can do that." Sebastian grinned and reopened his arms.

"So about that hug…" Ryan laughed before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Sebastian's neck, who in return wrapped his around the blonde's waist before picking him up and spinning him around.

"Seb!" Ryan gasped. "Put me down!" Sebastian laughed but did as he said and placed Ryan back on his feet.

"So I take it you forgive me?" Sebastian whispered into the crook of Ryan's neck. Ryan nodded.

"You're forgiven. But if you even think about doing something like this again, I'll kill you. I swear." Sebastian grinned.

"I won't. I promise. How about you and I seal this with a kiss?"

* * *

"I still can't believe I'm doing this." Chad muttered to himself as he walked up and down the deserted library. "How'd he even get in without a key?" Chad shook his head and continued towards the back of the second floor.

_Boom. _

Chad froze and looked around. There was absolutely no one in sight. He began to walk again, taking extra caution to step lightly and quickly. As he got nearer to the

"Teacher's Only" section, he heard muffled voices. When he reached, he stood still and waited. Nothing happened. He let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and stepped forward-

_Boom. Boom. Boom. _

Chad again froze as he heard what he knew were books hitting the floor.

"What the hell?" He whispered. What he heard next made him gasp.

"You're so gorgeous…absolute perfection." Chad's eyebrows rose.

"Sebastian? If he has Taylor with him I swear to god-" Chad ran till he reached the end and opened his mouth with every intention of letting out some of the nastiest obscenities he had ever heard but what he saw stopped him in his tracks.

Sebastian had Ryan backed up against one of the bookshelves and would gently push him, causing some books to fall. Sebastian's face couldn't be seen due to how far buried in Ryan's neck it was, but by the way Ryan's back arched and how his head was thrown back in ecstasy, the blonde teen wasn't complaining about the new appendage attached to his neck. Sebastian's shirt was lying on the ground and Ryan's was completely open, revealing an alabaster torso, and unbuckled pants. Their hair, which had been perfect all day, looked as if the two had just woken up from sleeping all day. Sebastian pulled away from Ryan's neck with a pop only to smash their lips together as he pulled Ryan closer. Ryan rocked against the taller teen, forcing him to let out a moan, which was about all that Chad could take.

"Fuck!" He yelled causing the two boys to pull apart. Ryan's eyes widened at the sight of his teacher and he quickly tried to make himself appear presentable. Sebastian only grinned and crossed his arms over his bare chest. When his clothes were back in order, Ryan turned back around.

"This is not what it-"He started before Chad interrupted.

"Ryan?"

"Yes, Mr. Chad?"

"Go back to your dorm, go to sleep, and I will see you in class tomorrow morning." Chad said in a level voice.

"So you're not gonna write me up?" Ryan asked in a hopeful voice. Chad couldn't help but smile.

"As long as you leave now, I won't." Ryan nodded.

"Yes sir. Goodnight Chad." Ryan paused as he turned and looked at Sebastian.

"Good night Sebastian."

"See ya in the morning, Ry." Ryan grinned before nodding at Chad and quickly exited. Chad and Sebastian stood in silence till they heard the front door open and close as Ryan left the building. When he was gone, Sebastian let out a sigh and sat down on one of the tables. Sebastian grinned as he looked down at his watch.

"You're five minutes late." He paused. "Mr. Chad." He continued in an imitation of Ryan. Chad glared.

"What the hell did I just see?" He asked. Sebastian smiled.

"Well, you walked in on two young, very horny male teenagers expressing physical love. And to be quite honest, it would have gotten a lot more physical had you not shown up." Chad squinted his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Something tells me that you didn't actually need a book." Sebastian leaned back on his arms and shrugged.

"What would give you that idea?" Chad chuckled.

"Lucky guess. Are you one of those guys who think just because they're dating two people of the opposite sex it's not cheating?" Sebastian shook his head.

"No. Because I'm only dating one person."

"Is Ryan a friends-with-benefits thing?" Sebastian smiled.

"No. Because Ryan is my boyfriend."

"So Taylor's the other woman."

"She would be if I were dating her." Chad stared at the boy in front of him as if he were crazy.

"Do you suffer from short term memory loss or something? Do you not remember what happened on Wednesday?"

"I remember it. I started it."

"Then how can you say-" Sebastian sighed and jumped off the table.

"Look, teach. I'm gonna break it down for ya, alright? I know you're dating Taylor." Chad's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Yes, I know. I know, you know, Taylor knows, Gabriella knows, Sharpay knows, and Ryan knows. Plus everyone you've told. Anyway, Martha being a snoop heard that Taylor was crushing on someone and she wouldn't let it go. So Sharpay told her that she liked me, hoping that it would make Martha leave it alone. That's when she got the idea that if she dated me no one would suspect that she was really dating you. And so on Wednesday, I walked Taylor home from the library and explained everything to her. The kiss in front of her dorm was just for show. No emotional attachment. Anyway Martha posted it on her blog, and Ryan saw it and hadn't been returning my calls. So I came up with a plan to both get Ryan back and you to trust Taylor. And so far it's worked. And now you're all caught up." Chad sat in shock as he tried to process everything he heard.

"So…" He started. "You're bi?"

"Gay, actually. I don't like girls. I think it's the boobs…they just don't interest me. Never have."

"How long have you been out of the closet?" Sebastian avoided meeting Chad's eyes.

"Well, I haven't actually officially come out yet. Tay and them all know, and you and Ryan of course, but besides that, no one knows. No one on the team, the coaches, or my parents."

"How long have you known?" he questioned.

"I always had doubts about girls and last year I slept with Sharpay as a test. It confirmed that I was indeed gay." Chad nodded.

"How long have you been dating Ryan?" Sebastian grinned.

"Two months, one week, sixteen hours, forty-eight minutes, and twelve seconds. It was weird. I mean, we both grew up in this boarding school. Been attending since we were seven. But this summer while we were both on the same cruise, it was like I was meeting him for the first time. He was more than just a mop of blonde hair in all of my classes. He was…Ryan. Well, we hung out every day, talked for hours, even convinced our parents to let us switch rooms so we could share a cabin. And one day, halfway through the trip, I kissed him and he kissed me back. Been dating ever since."

"His parents know?" Sebastian chuckled.

"Yeah. His mom walked in on us sharing a bed one day."

"How'd she react?"

"Quite well. She and Ryan's dad had a bet going on when he would finally come out of the closet. She won. She guessed he'd admit it in high school while his dad said college." Chad nodded as he comprehended all of this new information.

"So why am I here?"

"So I could tell you that Taylor loves you. And that you should show up to the dance tomorrow." Sebastian stated matter-of-factly. "Especially considering the fact that her dress is _fabulous_!" He finished in a stereotypical gay man fashion. Chad chuckled and put his hands on his hips.

"So let me go through this one time just to make sure I understand everything. You're gay and dating Ryan, but also dating Taylor though that's fake because she's dating me and you're doing all this to keep your secret and to keep Martha from finding out Taylor's, right?"

"Yup. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get some sleep. I have a dance to go to tomorrow." Sebastian brushed by Chad who smirked.

"Hey Sebastian!" He yelled. Sebastian turned at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you missing something?" Chad asked holding up Sebastian's abandoned white shirt. Sebastian looked down at his bare chest and laughed.

"Yeah, I might need that." Chad balled it up and threw it at his student. Sebastian caught it with ease. The younger boy arched an eyebrow.

"Just to make sure: we're cool, right?"

"Yeah, Sebastian. We're cool."

_**So what do you think? Did you like? Did you hate? Tell me I wanna know! Review and I hope everyone is enjoying the summer holidays! **_


	12. Roses, Breaking and Entering and a Call

**YEAH! UPDATE!**

"I'm sorry Mr. Williams. But I have to suspend you from Albuquerque Academy for the next month." Dean Warrens said while folding his hands over his desk. The boy sitting in front of him stood up enraged, knocking over the chair he had been sitting in just seconds before.

"Suspend me? Why?" The dean furrowed his eyebrows.

"You nearly assaulted a teacher. That alone is enough for expulsion! You're lucky that suspension is all you're getting. Your father is on his way here and your teachers will prepare your missed work at the end of every week and one of your parents can come get them. While you are away, I am suggesting that you take some or a lot of anger management classes." The teen slammed his hands down on the desk, causing the objects on top to rattle.

"But I don't have any anger issues! Your staff is nothing but a bunch of conniving liars who keep trying to get me in trouble!"

"You have no anger problems?" The dean asked in a calm voice. The teen shook his head.

"None!" Dean Warrens leaned back in his chair.

"Then why are your nails currently creating dents in my desk?" The male boy looked down at the nails in question and realized that the man in front of him was right. He loosened his grip and backed away from the table and saw ten small indents in the craved and polished wood. He looked at Dean Warrens and sheepishly grinned as he picked up the chair on the floor and sat in it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Dean, I know what I did to Mr. Aston was wrong and I'm sorry I really am, but I can't be suspended. The big football game against Jefferson Prep is next week and I'm on the starting line-up. I-"

"My hands are tied." Dean Warrens said rubbing his temples. "You should have thought about that before you went after your teacher with a baseball bat." Just then a voice came over the intercom.

"Dean Warrens, Samson's father is here." Dean Warrens nodded and turned to look at the boy in front of him. He shrugged.

"I think that's your cue. I'll see you in a month." The boy sighed as he picked up his backpack and dragged his feet to the door. When the door closed behind him, the Dean leaned back in his chair and sighed. "How many more days of school are there left?"

"255." Dean Warrens jumped at the sound of the voice and looked towards his door. Standing in it and looking sheepishly, was Chad. The dean rolled his eyes.

"Ah, Chad. Come in." Dean Warrens said motioning the young teacher forward. Chad nodded and closed the door behind him. "Would you like to sit?" Chad shook his head.

"Actually, I still have a lot of papers to grade before Monday so I was wondering if we could make this quick." Dean Warrens nodded.

"Sure. First of all how well are you adjusting?" Chad nodded.

"It's been pretty good. The paperwork's a bit more than I was expecting, but I'm handling it. Who needs to sleep anyway?" Dean Warrens chuckled and nodded.

"Right you are. And Taylor?" Chad's eyes widened.

"Wha-wha-what about her?" Chad stuttered. The dean arched an eyebrow.

"Has she been helping to show you around? Helping you get adjusted?" Chad blinked and nodded.

"Yeah. She's been a real help. Was that what you wanted to talk to me about, sir?" Dean Warrens shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Of course not. Did you plan on attending tonight's Welcome Back dance?" Chad instantly stiffened and his insides twisted into knots. His heart sped up as he tried to keep a calm and cool façade. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I planned on dropping by. See what all the fuss was about. Why?" Dean Warrens stood up from his desk and stood in front of Chad.

"Would you mind chaperoning? Mrs. Gallstone was supposed to chaperone but she's at home nursing the flu and there is no other teacher who can do it. I know its last minute and all, but I really need you to do this. And I'm completely willing to pay you overtime for your troubles. And you wouldn't even really have to do anything. Just walk around and make sure no one's dead. That's all. Besides the students actually seem to like you. They would probably love to have you there. Please, Chad. I'm begging."

Chad smiled. "_An excuse for why I'm at the dance, and as I'm" leaving" I'll go and meet Taylor. It's perfect."_ He thought. "Exactly how long would I have to stay?"

"Well the dance is from seven to midnight, but Mrs. Gallstone's period was from nine to eleven."

Chad grinned. _"This can't possibly get any easier." _

"Can I take your smile as a yes?" Chad broke out of his thoughts and looked at the man in front who looked like he was at his wits end.

Chad shrugged. "Sure Dean. I'll chaperone."

Dean Warrens breathed out a sigh of relief. "You're a life saver, Chad. Thanks." Chad simply nodded and reached for the door handle.

"Don't mention it sir. Glad to help."

* * *

"Taylor, you've got to eat something." Gabriella said looking at her roommate, who was on the floor, doing crunches. It was Saturday afternoon, and the two were in their dorm room taking a break from all the chaos that was going on around the school on account of the dance that night. Taylor shook her head.

"No can do. Have to look perfect in my dress tonight. Which means that I can't be pudgy by adding unnecessary weight that I could have avoided. No food till after the dance starts." Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"I think Sharpay is rubbing off on you. And not in a good way either." Taylor glared at her friend.

"Speaking of the pink she-devil, where is she?" Taylor asked. Gabriella shook her head.

"I don't know. She's probably out finding a date. Do you know she still doesn't have one?" Taylor stopped her crunches to stare at the brunette.

"You know that's how Shar is. To her, this is all just a game to see how long she can hold out and still find someone to go with her. And you know she will." Just then Sharpay walked in, dropped her purse, kicked off her shoes and plopped down on her bed with a loud sigh.

"Well good morning to you too." Gabriella said staring at the blonde. "And where have you been all day?" Sharpay rolled her eyes at the question as she searched her bedside drawer for a nail file.

"Helping Taylor's date get ready for tonight." Taylor, who had changed from doing crunches to push ups, fell as all the strength left her arms.

"Chad?" Sharpay glared at her friend.

"No, dummy. Seb. We have to make it convincing that you two are a couple and one of the ways to do that is if your outfits match."Taylor rolled eyes.

"It doesn't matter how good we look together, if he didn't convince Chad to forgive me." Taylor reminded her but the blonde either didn't hear the comment or chose to ignore it.

"I've been so busy trying to help you," Sharpay continued, "That I forgot to find a date for myself. I hope you're happy." Taylor scoffed and got up from the floor.

"Whatever. You say this as if there aren't a thousand guys breaking their necks to go with you." Sharpay huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, well none of them are the right guy." Gabriella and Taylor shared a look.

"And the right guy is…"

"Tall, smart, athletic, talented, gorgeous-"

"So a male you?" Gabriella interjected. Sharpay shrugged.

"Well, yeah. I mean I'm not looking for a lot. I just want someone perfect. Is that too much to ask?" Taylor was about to respond when there was a loud rapping on the door.

"Who is it?" Gabriella asked. There was no response. She got up and opened the door to reveal no one there, but a dozen red roses. Gabriella picked them up and closed the door. "Someone got a present!" She said in a sing-song voice. Both girls looked up and Sharpay smirked.

"Looks like Mr. Chad has forgiven you, Tay." Gabriella shook her head.

"Nope. This is addressed to you Shar." The blonde almost snapped her nail file in half as she and Taylor rushed to the brunette's side.

"What?" They asked breathlessly.

"To Ms. Sharpay Evans." Gabriella read from the card. "You are prettier than the finest flower, smell sweeter than the best perfume, and gentler than the spring breeze." Sharpay's jaw dropped as Gabriella continued to read. "I only wish my courage matched my passion for you, because then I would not be afraid to reveal my true person. But alas, a jewel like yourself needs someone to help you shine even brighter, so until the time comes where I have proven myself, I am fully content to wait in the background and gaze at you from afar. Love always, Rocketman." Taylor nearly laughed at hearing who it was from and Sharpay dramatically collapsed in the computer chair, placing her hand on her forehead.

"That…was…beautiful." She whispered.

Gabriella nodded. "It was really sweet." Sharpay glared at her roommate.

"Sweet? Gabs, god himself couldn't have written a more perfect note." Sharpay sighed and smelled the roses. "But who could it be?" Taylor scoffed but quickly turned it into a cough.

"Well I don't know, but I'm happy for you, Shar. And I hope you and…Rocketman will be very happy together." With that she got up, grabbing her iPod and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Sharpay asked, her eyes glued to her note, trying to decipher the handwriting.

"The gym. I'll be back before the dance." She said as she closed the door behind her. Gabriella watched her leave, and turned to see the blonde staring at her.

"What?" Gabriella asked hesitantly.

"We need to find you a date for the dance that's what." Gabriella shook her head.

"No we don't. I already have one. Ryan asked me yesterday." Sharpay frowned.

"So I'm the only one of us without a date?" Gabriella shrugged.

"It's not like you haven't been asked. You turned everyone down." Sharpay didn't meet her friend's eyes and instead busied herself with finding water for her flowers.

"Well that's because none of them are what I'm looking for. None of them are like him." Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who's him?" Sharpay grinned as she stared off into space.

"Zeke Baylor." Gabriella arched an eyebrow.

"The guy from the club? From this summer? Really? You knew him for like 5 hours at most." Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"So? The amount of time we spent together is irrelevant. The connection we had was deep-"

"Yeah, as deep as a kiddy pool." Sharpay threw a pillow at her roommate and huffed.

"Whatever. I want him, none of the boys here are him, so therefore I don't want to date any of them." Gabriella playfully rolled her eyes.

"How are you gonna find him, anyway?" Sharpay shrugged nonchalantly as she finally found the right vase for her roses.

"I'm gonna get his number out of Chad's phone which I'm gonna get by sneaking into his office and taking it. Oh my gosh! What if Zeke is Rocketman?" Gabriella turned to stare at her friend.

"I'm sorry," She said, standing and walking over to stand next to the blonde. "What was that part about breaking and entering?"

* * *

_I'm putting in homework_

_(Till I get to know you)_

_I'm putting in homework_

_(I'll study your every move)_

_I'm putting in homework_

_Till I know everything you like_

_I'm gonna push, gonna mash, gonna grind_

_I'm on the grind till I know it_

_I'm putting in homework_

Taylor looked down at her phone to see that it was Sebastian who was calling her. She slowed down her treadmill to a slow walk and hit the answer button.

"Hello?" She said breathlessly. On the other line Sebastian chuckled.

"Eager to see me, Tay?" Taylor rolled her eyes and took a drink from her bottle.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm at the gym so I'm out of breath."

"Really?" Sebastian questioned. "Me too. Where are you?"

"On the treadmill."

"Okay. I'll come there. See ya in a few."

"See ya." Taylor responded before shutting her phone and turning off her machine. She stepped off of it and pulled a towel from her bag wiping away the sweat from her arms and face. While she was doing this, she glanced up to see Chad across the way on the pull up bars, staring at her. She pretended not to notice him and continued to towel off. When she was done, she bent down to pick up her gym bag, making sure to give him a view of her toned behind.

"Well, looks like I walked in on a show." Taylor jolted up and smirked when she saw who was standing there.

"You say it like you don't enjoy it." Sebastian chuckled as he stepped closer.

"Actually, I didn't. Gay remember?" Taylor rolled her eyes as she reached down to get her gym bag and put it on her shoulder. When she stood back up again, she quickly glanced to see if Chad was watching but he was gone. Taylor sighed, causing Sebastian to glance in the same direction.

"Let me guess. Chad?" Sebastian asked. Taylor nodded before her eyes widened.

"Your plan! Did it work? Is he still mad at me, what happened?" Sebastian rolled his eyes and placed an arm around her shoulder, leading her towards the exit.

"Yes it worked, no he's not still mad at you, and do you want the long version or short version?"

"Short version. Please."

"I tricked him into going to the library where he walked in on me and Ryan getting intimate." Taylor stopped walking.

"You and Ryan? Why Ryan?" Sebastian arched an eyebrow.

"Well he is kinda my boyfriend." Taylor's jaw dropped and Sebastian laughed at her expression.

"Boyfriend? Since when? For how long?" Sebastian rolled his eyes playfully and tugged her gently to get her to start walking again.

"Yes, the Ryan Evans, Sharpay's brother and Gabriella's date to the dance is my boyfriend. We've been dating since this summer and in one minute it will be exactly…"Two months, one week, two days, six hours and 24 seconds."

"Aww." Taylor said. "You remember the exact time?" Sebastian rolled his eyes but grinned all the same.

"Shut up." He said blushing. He paused for a second. "I know right? Isn't it great?"

"Well I'm very happy for you two." Taylor said. "And he's okay with the whole you pretending to date me thing?"

"After I explained everything yesterday, he is. So it was a win win. You get your boyfriend and I get mine. And no one knows the difference." Taylor arched an eyebrow.

"I think you've been spending a little too much time with Sharpay. You're beginning to sound just as devious as her." Sebastian shrugged.

"She's like a fatal disease. Once you've got her, you're stuck with her."

* * *

"We are so getting expelled for this!" Gabriella harshly whispered to Sharpay. The two were currently standing outside Chad's classroom, Sharpay on the ground with a pick trying to break the lock. Sharpay rolled her eyes and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"We can only get expelled if someone finds out what we're doing. And the only way someone will find out what we're doing is if someone hears us. And the only way someone will hear us, is if you don't shut up!" Gabriella glared at the blonde but didn't say anything else. "Damn it. I can't get it."

"Do you want some help?" The two girls jumped at the voice and Sharpay stood. Both girls turned to see a boy standing behind them. He was wearing skinny jeans, a loose fitted T, a hoodie and sneakers. On his head was a gray beanie, which only succeeded in making his already long brown hair fall into his eyes even more. The teen held up his hands in a sign of surrender. Sharpay crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at the boy.

"What was that?" She asked. The boy shrugged.

"Well, clearly you two are trying to break into that classroom and I was just wondering if you wanted some help." Gabriella and Sharpay shared a look.

"State your name, grade and age." Sharpay said forcefully.

"Jimmie Zara, 9th grade, and I'm however old you want me to be." He said while eyeing Sharpay up and down and sending her a wink. Gabriella began to laugh but quickly turned it into a cough when Sharpay sent a glare her way.

"Jimmie Zara?" Gabriella asked. Jimmie nodded. "The one being tutored by Taylor and Kelsi?" Jimmie nodded again.

"Well then that means you must be Gabriella and you are of course the lovely Sharpay." Sharpay rolled her eyes and waved her hand as if dismissing the fact that he knew who she was.

"You can open the door?" She asked suspiciously. Jimmie nodded again, this time causing more of his hair to drop into his eyes. He brushed it back before walking up to the door. He pulled out his wallet and from within it pulled out a credit card. Jimmie then kneeled on the ground and began working at opening the door. Sharpay rolled her eyes and looked at her friend and roommate. "Well," Sharpay whispered. "We're gonna be here forever. He probably can't even-"

"Done." Jimmie said as he stood from the ground and wiped his hands on the jeans. Sharpay turned and looked the freshman up and down.

"What?" Both she and Gabriella asked bewildered. Jimmie shrugged.

"Yeah. It wasn't that hard. Well, see ya." Sharpay stared him up and down and Jimmie turned to go.

"Wait. Don't you even wanna know why we were trying to break into the classroom?" Jimmie paused for a second as he thought before shaking his head.

"Nope. Not really." Sharpay looked at Gabriella who shrugged.

"And you of course know that you never saw us here." Sharpay stated. "And this whole thing never happened. Right?" The freshman nodded.

"Of course it didn't. Because if it did, then I would get in more trouble than the two of you considering the fact that while you guys were only trying to get in the room, I actually successfully unlocked the door." Sharpay and Gabriella shared a look.

"He's got a point." Gabriella whispered. Sharpay then stepped forward.

"Well…um…thank you…uh…"

"Jimmie." The boy answered eagerly. Sharpay nodded.

"Yes." Sharpay answered as she reached for Gabriella's arm and began to drag her into the classroom. "Jimmie. Well, I guess I'll be seeing you. We'll be seeing you." Gabriella nodded in amusement.

"Yes. It was very nice to meet you Jimmie." Gabriella said smiling. "I hope we cross paths again soon." Jimmie smirked as he turned to walk down the hall.

"Oh, don't worry. I can guarantee we will." He said before turning and walking down the hall. The girls watched him go before closing the door behind them.

"I think he likes you." Gabriella said, clearly amused. Sharpay glared at the brunette.

"Just shut up and help me look for Chad's phone." Gabriella rolled her eyes before doing as her friend said.

"How do we even know it's in here? How do we know it's not in his room? Or on him? Where it's supposed to be?" Sharpay ignored her friend and walked towards the desk at the front of the room. When she couldn't find it on his desk, she reached for one of the drawers to open it, when she was stopped when Gabriella grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing? We already broke in the room. We can't go through his stuff!"

"And why not? We're already in trouble if we get caught we might as well make it worthwhile." And with that being said she shook Gabriella's hand off and opened the drawer. "Ha!" She said. Gabriella, who had covered her eyes with her hands, peeked through them.

"What?" Sharpay rolled her eyes and removed her friend's hands from her face.

"Grow up. And look what I got!" Sharpay help up the Iphone she had pulled out of the desk in triumph. She turned it on and was met with the password screen. "Dammit."

"Did you honestly think it was gonna be that easy?" Gabriella asked. "Besides why don't you let it go? I mean he was just one guy-"

"Hey!" Sharpay interjected. "He was not just one guy. He was _the_ guy. And Sharpay Anneliese Evans does not let anything go." Gabriella rolled her eyes and sat down on top of Chad's desk.

"Well regardless of that you don't have the password." Sharpay arched an eyebrow.

"Like that's stopped me before." With that being said, she began to press keys.

"You're not gonna get it." Gabriella said. "So we might as well stop while we're ahead and just leave-"

"Got it."

"What?" Gabriella's jaw dropped in shock. "How?" Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"His password was 1, 2, 3, 4. Some people are so simple." Gabriella crossed her arms.

"Well find the number so we can leave before he comes back." Sharpay nodded and began searching through contact when she stopped and smiled. "Did you find it?" Gabriella asked. Sharpay shook her head.

"Not yet but I found something else. Troy Zachary Bolton."

"Troy's number? Let me see it!" Gabriella said reaching for the phone but Sharpay pulled it out of her reach.

"I thought you said breaking and entering was wrong." Gabriella stuck her tongue out at the blonde. "Do you want the number or not?" Sharpay asked. Gabriella hesitated.

"…No?"

"Which means yes." Sharpay said turning back to the phone and mentally storing Troy's number and making a mental note to later put it in Gabriella's phone. Tired of scrolling, Sharpay hit the Z button and frowned. "It's not there. Hang on let me go back..." Sharpay started scrolling again and squealed at her results.

"Did you get it?" The room's other occupant asked, trying to see over Sharpay's shoulder. The girl nodded.

"Yep. Ezekiel "Zeke" Lawrence Baylor. Hmm…Sharpay Baylor. It has a nice ring to it."

"Yeah, yeah it sounds beautiful, Shar. Just please hurry up so we can leave." Sharpay glared at her friend but did as she was asked, quickly typing the number in her own phone, and carefully placing her teacher's phone back in the desk.

"Done. Let's go." Gabriella nodded and the two girls left the classroom, locking it behind them. Unbeknownst to them, someone had watched the girls struggle to open the door, interact with Jimmie, enter and leave the classroom. And that someone did not intend on keeping it to themselves.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Is this Tina from the gossip column for _Albuquerque Magazine_?"

"Yes, this is she. How can I help you?"

"Well, I think this is more about me helping you."

"Really? How so?"

"Well I hear that local citizen Chad Danforth is being drafted into the NBA."

"Yes, I know this and I've known this forever, but sadly he moved over the summer and we have not been able to locate him to set up an interview."

"Well, what would you say if I said that I knew where he was?"

"Well, then I'd say I owed you a big favor."

"Well then start saving up for that favor Tina, because I guarantee it's gonna cost ya."


	13. The Dance, A Talk, & A Congratulations

**Look at me! Multiple updates in one week! :)**

"Are you done yet?"

"Well I might be if you would stop asking and fidgeting ever ten seconds." Taylor rolled her eyes at the comment and tried her hardest to not move and sit still. It was finally the night of the dance and Taylor was currently sitting in the computer chair while Sharpay did her makeup. Gabriella was sitting on her bed straightening her hair, Kelsi and Martha were on the floor painting their toes and Sharpay had been wearing her dress, shoes, nails and toes painted, and hair and makeup done for almost half an hour. The other four girls were wearing their dresses for the dance as well, all of them nervously watching the clock.

"Shar, we're already two hours late-" Gabriella began but was interrupted when the blonde girl held up a hand.

"Don't start. You're not even ready yet. You're still doing your hair." Gabriella stuck her tongue out at the blonde, but didn't speak. "So when you're done, then you can say something." She turned back to finishing Taylor's face as Gabriella rolled her eyes before looking at Kelsi in the mirror.

"Hey Kel?" Kelsi looked up from her feet at the sound of her name.

"Yeah?"

"You never did tell us who you were going with."

"…Huh?"

"Don't play dumb!" Martha said. "Who are you going with? We all know about each other's dates except for yours. I'm going with Jason, Tay's going with Sebastian, Gabby's going with Ryan, and Shar's going stag. So I will ask again. Who are you going with and don't even think about lying to me, or I will smear your good name all over my blog!" Kelsi's eyes widened and she blushed brightly.

"I don't see how it's that big of a deal," She started quietly. "But I'm going with…Nathan Michaels." The jaws on the four other girls dropped.

"You're going with Nathan Michaels?" Sharpay asked. Kelsi nodded. "From the Varsity Basketball team?" Kelsi nodded again. "The starting forward?" Kelsi groaned and hid her face in his hands.

"Yes, I'm going with Nathan. He asked me last week and I thought…I don't know I thought it would be fun." Sharpay nodded in approval.

"He's _gorgeous_." Sharpay complimented. "Congrats, my friend. You have officially gotten my blessing." Taylor gasped exaggeratedly.

"Wow." She said overly sarcastic. "An S.S.P.? Sharpay Seal of Approval? Those are really rare! Congrats Kel!" Sharpay glared at the girl sitting in front of her.

"I can make you look like a clown." The blonde said threateningly.

"Please don't."

"That's what I thought." She went back to doing Taylor's makeup and the room was silent for a few minutes as the others finished their preparations. "And, done!" She said, taking a step back from Taylor.

"Really?" Taylor asked, excitedly jumping out of her seat. "Gimmie a mirror!" Sharpay held one up and she examined her reflection. "Oh my gosh, Shar! It looks great!" Sharpay grinned.

"Well I am amazing after all." The blonde said jokingly. Taylor moved to hug her, but Sharpay stepped back. "Nope. No tears. I refuse to have you ruin all of my hard work. Besides you have a hot date tonight that you have to look good for."

"Yeah." Martha joined in as she stood up and smoothed out her dress. "Sebastian's gonna love your outfit." Gabriella, Sharpay and Taylor shared a look before Taylor smiled and pulled on her shoes.

"I think he will too, Martha. I think he will too."

* * *

"You look sexy." Chad jumped at the sound of the voice and turned to see a smirking Troy leaning against his doorframe of his bedroom at Albuquerque Academy. Chad rolled his eyes at his friend's antics and went back to looking at himself in the mirror. He had decided to let his curls go free instead of having them back in their usual ponytail, and he blew one out of his eye as he looked himself over. He was wearing a long-sleeved light blue dress shirt with black slacks and black shoes.

"Too casual?" He asked Troy, who was now lying down on his bed. Troy shook his head and smiled.

"I'm sure Taylor will love it." He said, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis which only earned him a pillow to the face.

"So why are you here, T?" Troy shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck. I know I make fun of ya for the situation and all but I think it's actually cool that you wanna stick it out with her. And you know that no matter what goes down, I've got your back right?" He asked, looking at the curly-haired teacher with an intense expression. Chad nodded.

"I know." Troy grinned and threw an arm over his shoulder. Chad smirked.

"Are you sure you don't wanna help me chaperone? Bree will be there." He said suggestively. He watched the color drain from Troy's face as the brunette swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

"Br-Bree? She'll be there? Tonight?" He asked, his voice raising an octave with each word. Chad nodded.

"With Taylor and all of their other friends. I'm sure she would _love_ to see you." Troy shook his head.

"N-no. I'm gonna control myself...She's not legal. So it's not happening and that's that." Chad scoffed.

"Suit yourself bro." Troy arched an eyebrow and grinned.

"Yeah, whatever. We'll worry about my future later. Now, how about I escort you down to that dance so you can tap that wonderful underage ass?"

* * *

"Oh my god, Shar! The place looks great! I can barely recognize the courtyard." Martha exclaimed as the girls and their dates looked around the massive and highly decorated grounds. Blue and white lights had been strung all around in trees, on tables, in the giant fountain and on the outside of the South Wing building.

Streamers were high above everyone's heads, while confetti and fake snow continuously fell. The dance was in full swing when the group arrived and they hurriedly moved to secure a table for all of them. When they were all seated, Martha and Jason hopped back up again, offering to get drinks for everyone. When they left, Sharpay rushed off with Gabriella and Ryan, eager to introduce them to people who she said, "they couldn't live without knowing." Soon after Nathan dragged Kelsi away, determined that she meet everyone on all of the varsity sport teams. With their table empty, Sebastian turned to Taylor with a smirk.

"So far so good?" He asked his date. Taylor smiled and nodded.

"Yeah…so far…should I be worried about the near future? Are you planning something you're not telling me?" Sebastian chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope. I've got absolutely no plans except to hang out with my friends and my awesome girlfriend." He said, wrapping an arm around Taylor's shoulders and gently kissing her on the cheek. Taylor giggled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well you are an amazing boyfriend in my opinion." Taylor commented while waving at classmates who walked by their table. As she unknowingly searched the crowd for a mop of curly brown hair, her eyes landed on Ryan and Gabriella, who seemed to be having an intense discussion with Sharpay and one of her acquaintances. Taylor looked up to see that Sebastian was staring at them as well, or more specifically at his blonde boyfriend. Taylor smiled as she watched him and after a few minutes he took notice of her staring.

"What?" He questioned warily. His date shrugged as she sat back upright in her chair.

"Nothing. Just watching you…watching him." She responded, arching her eyebrow in a knowing fashion. Sebastian instantly flushed and hung his head, trying to hide his face in his hair.

"Was it that obvious?" He asked quietly. Taylor snickered.

"Only to everyone with eyes whether they can actually see or not." Sebastian glared at the girl and playfully pushed her.

"Shut up."

"Don't be embarrassed. I think it's cute how in love you are with him." Sebastian scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Cute? Tay, if he wasn't my boyfriend, what I do could be classified as stalking. And that is not _cute._"

"I bet Ryan thinks it's cute." The pout Sebastian had been sporting instantly disappeared and was replaced with a silly look at the mention of his boyfriend's name.

"You think so?" He asked with a grin that had Taylor holding back her laughter.

"Definitely. Did you not see the death glare he sent me when I hugged you earlier? If he could have his way, it'd probably be him sitting here next to you while I argued about nonsense with his sister." The two glanced back over at the foursome to see that they were still deeply engaged in their conversation.

"Is it hard?" Taylor asked, startling Sebastian by the randomness of the statement. The brunette boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, but did you just ask me if my dic-" Taylor, realizing exactly where he was going, quickly covered his mouth.

"No! No! No! Why would I ask you that?" She harshly whispered out of fear that the wrong person would overhear. Sebastian shrugged and removed her hand.

"That's what I wanted to know. And it's not like it would've been completely out of context! We were just talking and staring at my boyfriend and sometimes when I'm around him things happen such as-" Taylor quickly shoved her fingers in her ears and closed her eyes tightly.

"I can't hear you! And I can assure that, that is one question that I will _never _ask you, and honestly want an answer for." Sebastian grinned while holding up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. I get it. T.M.I. Right?" Taylor nodded and removed her fingers from her ears. "And just for the record? Within a few minutes, it would've been." He added with a wink. Taylor made a face of disgust and rushed to plug her ears again, but Sebastian grabbed her wrists, stopping her. "I'm done! I swear! So since you weren't asking about Sebastian Jr.," Taylor couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "What were you talking about then?" He asked, releasing her wrists and staring at her. Taylor hugged herself and sighed.

"I meant is it hard keeping your relationship with _Ryan_ a secret. I could care less about the relationship between you and your hand." Sebastian childishly stuck out his tongue at her, before glancing at his boyfriend and chewing on the inside of his cheek as he thought it over.

"For the most part it's not that hard." He finally said after a while. "We're both usually busy, him with shows, me with track, and then were both constantly swamped with schoolwork." He looked at Taylor, who nodded to show she was listening, and urged him to continue. "So even though we miss each other a lot, we don't have that much time to dwell on it. We have to actually find time in our schedule to be with each other whether it's in public or private. In private, we of course can do whatever we like, but in public, we have to be overly careful of who sees us, where we are, stuff like that. Every now and then, we'll be sitting in the quad talking and he'll get confused about something and he'll just look so adorable…it literally takes every ounce of self control in my entire body to not lean over and hold his hand or touch his face or pull him close or…kiss him till he can't breathe." Sebastian ended with a chuckle. "Even now, I am _forcing _myself to keep looking at you and not at him." Taylor smirked and intertwined her left hand in his right.

"Does it get easier?" Sebastian shook his head.

"Never. It only gets harder, and you only get more paranoid. You think people are watching you now?" Taylor nodded. Sebastian grinned. "Just wait. Soon, you're barely gonna be able to sit through a class period without looking over your shoulder every five minutes."

"I've haven't seen you jump in any classes."

"It's only been a week since school started again. Besides, why do you think I always sit in the back? So I can see every corner of the room at any given moment." Taylor let out a sigh and looked at the ground.

"I thought secret relationships were supposed to be romantic not…stressful." She complained. Sebastian nodded and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Tell me about it." Taylor glanced up to see if she could read the time on the giant grandfather clock on the main building, and instead widened her eyes at seeing Chad and Troy surveying the campus, only a few yards away. He seemed to be searching for something, and when his eyes landed on her, he froze. The two remained locked in each other's gaze, only coming out of it when Troy gently shoved his friend forward. The brunette linked eyes with Taylor and they nodded at each other in acknowledgement. Taylor turned again to look at Chad, who was purposely looking in every single direction except hers. She watched as Dean Warrens walked up to the duo and started talking, drawing their attention to him.

"Hey Seb?" She whispered, her eyes not leaving her teacher.

"Yeah?" The athlete muttered back.

"Is it worth it? The lies, the sneaking around, the hiding…is it worth it?" Sebastian, who had been watching Ryan since his "girlfriend" had fallen silent, smiled slightly as he watched the blonde laugh hysterically at something his sister said. The brunette nodded and squeezed Taylor's hand.

"Definitely." Taylor grinned and the two sat there in silence before she scrunched up her face in confusion.

"Weren't Jason and Martha supposed to come back with our drinks like 10 minutes ago?"

* * *

"I can't do it."

"You'll be fine."

"No I won't."

"Yes, you will."

"Nope. I'm gonna turn around and just go back to my room and crawl into my bed and never move again." Troy rolled his eyes at his friend and ran a hand through his hair. As soon as the Dean had walked away, Chad dragged him into the bathroom, kicked everyone out and locked the door.

"Look Chad, if we stay in here any longer, people are going to think that we're doing something. And I refuse to have a bunch of snot nosed brats think I'm sleeping with you when I can clearly do better." Chad glared at his best friend and scoffed.

"Please. You wish you could tap this." Troy shook his head.

"Okay, we are not having this conversation. So why are we in here?" Chad looked at him like it was the most obvious answer.

"Because Taylor's out there."

"Because she's attending the school dance. You know the one I'm talking about, right? The one you're supposed to be chaperoning _right now_? A job you can't do if you're hiding in a bathroom?"

"Shut up."

"Are you scared of her or something?"

"No, I'm not scared of her!" Chad retorted defensively.

"Then what's the big deal?"

"Did you _see _her?" Troy shrugged.

"Yeah. She looked good, so what?" Chad arched an eyebrow.

"Good? She looks _perfect!_ Her hair is in curls, her dress hugs her perfectly and oh my god she probably smells amazing…" Troy backed up a few steps and held up his hands.

"Dude, you're beginning to creep me out a little bit." Chad, who apparently hadn't heard him, ran his hands over his face.

"Damnit! I was gonna break it off with her too!" He muttered to himself. "It was gonna be great! I was gonna tell her that this ended now, she was going to be okay with that and we were going to go through the rest of the school year pretending like this whole thing never happened and then next season, I'm gonna start in the NBA and be able to buy all the hookers I could possibly want." Troy arched an eyebrow and let out a breath through his nose.

"Alright, I'm about to do something that I've never done before, and I hope I can do it again in the very near future." Chad looked at him in confusion.

"What?" Troy walked up to Chad, raised his left hand to his right shoulder and swung it forward, slapping his best friend in the face. The resounding _smack _echoed through the empty bathroom and the two were silent as Chad looked at the brunette in shock.

"Did you…did you just _pimp _slap me?" Troy shrugged trying to look unaffected, but his slightly shaking gave him away.

"You were acting like a bitch, so I decided to treat you like one. Now man up! On this campus, only a bit of a distance away, is a girl who for some reason thinks you are worth breaking multiple laws and since you're standing in here complaining about it, I'm assuming you think she's worth it as well. Right?" Chad nodded. "Good. So you are gonna go out there, wait till eleven, meet Taylor by those woods, and then you are gonna do the nasty till the break of dawn! Right?" Chad, who had slowly been gaining confidence through Troy's pep talk, jumped up.

"Right!" He said excited before high-fiving his friend. "I'm gonna give it to her good!"

"Not too good!" Troy added. "Remember, she's still underage." Chad nodded in agreement.

"Right. Of course. Troy…thanks man." The two embraced and Troy patted Chad on the back. "I needed that."

"Don't mention it. And anytime you need me to slap you again, don't hesitate to call me." Chad rolled his eyes before unlocking the bathroom door, taking a deep breath, giving Troy the finger, and walking out. Troy grinned and placed his hand over his heart, while shaking his head.

"Oh, look at him go. My little boy is all grown up and about to get arrested." He turned to his reflection in the mirror and nodded.

"We've raised him well." With one last smirk at himself, he headed out the door only to almost run into one of the female students, catching her before she lost her balance enough, to fall.

"Sorry." They both apologized at the same time. "My fault! Seriously mine! No, my fault. Sorry." As they continued to apologize to each other, Troy looked the girl over. She was in purple heels, black fishnet stockings and she was wearing a purple, shimmery, spaghetti strap dress that stopped just short of her knees. Her hair was straight, with flips at the end. She looked up to meet his eyes and Troy gasped at the familiar face. He immediately jumped back a foot, and the two of them awkwardly stared at each other until Troy couldn't take the silence and broke it.

"Bree?" He asked in shock. Gabriella bit her lip and sheepishly nodded.

"Hi…Troy."

* * *

"Do you want me to stay here and wait for you?" Taylor shook her head. It was five minutes till eleven and she was standing at the border of the courtyard and the woods, where she and Chad had agreed to meet. Sebastian had come with her, and was currently refusing to leave her alone.

"I'm a big girl, Seb. I can handle myself." The boy in question arched an eyebrow.

"In that dress, you can't do anything except stand and look pretty." Taylor stuck her tongue out at him.

"When Chad gets here, I don't want him to see you."

"Why not, he knows there's nothing actually going on between us." Taylor shrugged.

"I know, but still. This is kinda private." Sebastian chuckled and gently patted Taylor's shoulder.

"Oh sweetie. You say that like it's actually gonna stay that way." Taylor shoved him forcefully back towards the courtyard where the dance was being held.

"Go find Ry and bother him. Gabs just headed to the bathroom so I'm pretty sure he's lonely." She hinted, watching the taller boy flush.

"So I'll see you later then?" Taylor nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"And I promise to tell you everything that happens. But only if you leave now!" She added, pushing him once again. Sebastian laughed before leaving.

"I'm gone! I'm gone! Have fun with your boy toy!" Taylor shook her head at his retreating form, jumping when hearing a laugh come from behind her.

"If he keeps shouting like that, soon it won't be a big secret anymore." Taylor turned around to see him, openly staring at her and she subconsciously rubbed her arms. She stared at him, taking in his blue shirt that fit his torso perfectly, the black slacks that somehow made him seem professional and sexy at the same time. She gripped her arms tighter, not wanting to accidently reach forward and play with his hair. She shook her hair and sighed.

"He's good at keeping a secret." Taylor said. "He hasn't told anyone." Chad crossed his arms.

"I know. He's a good kid." They were silent, unable to get past the awkward phase they were currently stuck in.

"Chad-"

"Stop." He said. "Just give me a second." Taylor closed her mouth. Chad stepped closer until his face was only inches away from Taylor's. They stayed this way for a few minutes, both afraid to move for fear of breaking the spell they had placed themselves under.

"Wha-"

"Don't. Say. Anything." Chad whispered, leaning closer with each word until his lips were pressed against hers. The two of them froze before Chad deepened it, pulling her closer to him. The kiss became more passionate as Taylor leaned into it and wrapped her arms around Chad's neck. Sensing this as permission, he chastely licked her lips, asking for her to open, which she did without hesitation, both of them falling into a familiar rhythm. When the need to for air overwhelmed them, they broke apart, both gasping and staring at each other.

"Is it bad if I said I missed that?" Chad questioned. Taylor shook her head.

"Only if it's bad for me to say I missed it too." The older male smiled before running his hand through his head.

"Damnit. I was hoping it wasn't going to be as good as the last time so that this would be a lot easier."

"So I'm assuming you want to stay together too?" Taylor asked hopefully. Chad nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"Way more than I should." He muttered into her hair. Taylor couldn't help but grin.

"I'm glad." Chad scoffed.

"You're not risking an arrest." Taylor rolled her eyes before taking a step back and looking up at her teacher.

"Well, how about I make it up to you?" She asked with a smirk. Chad grinned.

"I'd like that." He said before beginning to lean down when someone yelling his name stopped him.

"Mr. Danforth! Mr. Danforth!" Taylor quickly back away from her teacher, pulling her hair down and quickly rubbing at her eyes. Chad looked at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Play along." The voices grew closer, and before long Taylor was hiccupping and tears were starting to fall. Chad's eyes widened and he started towards her to comfort her, when Sasha, Dean Warrens, and the lady Sharpay, Ryan and Gabriella had been talking to earlier. Close up, they could see that she didn't seem that much older than Chad and she was dressed in a business suit, way too extravagant for a school dance. With her, she carried a giant purse, a feathered pen, a black notebook and a camera around her neck.

"Chad! Taylor?" Dean Warrens asked in confusion. "What are you two doing back here? Taylor, are you crying? Mr. Danforth, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Chad quickly defended himself and Taylor shook her head.

"This isn't Mr. Danforth's fault, Dean. I just got a text from my mom saying one of the cousins I'm close to died this morning. I was over here crying, and Mr. Danforth heard me. He was just trying to help." The Dean nodded in understanding, Sasha looked at Chad in awe, and the unknown woman started scribbling in her notebook.

"You're so sweet, professor!" Sasha said walking towards him, only to have the Dean pull her back by her jacket.

"And you can appreciate his sweetness from a distance." Sasha glared but said anything, crossing her arms angrily as she eyed Taylor. The unknown woman continued to scribble in her notebook, muttering to herself as she did so. Chad arched an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" He finally asked. The female opened her mouth to respond, only to be overshadowed by Sasha letting out an obnoxious giggle.

"I called her!" The girl giggled. "People have been trying to get an interview with you for months, professor!"

"I know. I've been avoiding them for a reason, Sasha. But I still don't know who she is." He said. The woman walked right up to him and smiled while holding out her hand to shake his. He reluctantly took it.

"Tina Cochran. I write the gossip column for _Albuquerque Magazine_." Chad shrugged.

"Okay. What does that have to do with me?" Tina's smile turned into a grin that would rival that of a pumpkin and she started jumping up and down excitedly.

"Because! You are one of our top twenty finalists for _Albuquerque Magazine's Hottest Bachelor of the Year_!" Behind her, Sasha was cheering and clapping excitedly, while Taylor looked completely stunned. Chad's eyes widened in shock and he looked at Dean Warrens for confirmation which he received in the form of a nod. He looked back at Tina to see her holding up her camera. "Say cheese!"

"No wait-"

_SNAP! _

**Hope you guys liked it! Review please! :)**

**Peace, Luv & Hairgrease!**

**HP4EverLuver**


End file.
